is
The Funeral Angel
– from Imogen
We approached Robyn to act as a celebrant for my mother’s memorial service and she was such an angel. I knew right away she was the sort of person my mother would have loved. We adored her and she was so unbelievably helpful. The service was perfect, she helped plan something entirely customised to our mum’s personality and beliefs, and we are so happy that we found her. ‘Funeral Angel’ is such an accurate way to describe her.
– from Diane
“Saint Robyn of West Ryde! We can’t thank you enough for the perfect ceremony. Everyone there was singing your praises and Dom would have loved your outfit!”
– from Brendan and Laura
“Once again, we thank you so very much for everything yesterday. We know Dom would have loved it! It was lovely to see such a big turnout, as you know we were worried not many would show. The family were all very pleased with how the service went, and are so grateful for you.”
– from Andy & Lisa
“Dear Robyn, thank YOU! You are a wonderful person. You were absolutely the right person for Dom’s ceremony, and understood her so well. Thanks so much for bringing everything together, and for making it an easier process for us. None of us will ever forget what a special and beautiful service it was.
Many thanks, and love”
– from Stephen
“Robyn. You were awesome. Thank you for putting together such a beautiful reading for Mum. You absolutely did her justice under time constraints that boggle my mind – even with other functions you had to juggle. Just incredible.”
– from Tiana
“Thank you for delivering such a great eulogy for my Mum. She would have loved it. You did a fantastic job, so many people said so.”
– from John
I wanted to thank you personally for the wonderful service you gave for Brigitte. It went very smoothly and exactly the right atmosphere to farewell my beloved. Thank you again for your guidance and the wonderful words. I’m so glad we chose you.”
– from Jade
“When my husband died it was sudden and totally unexpected. I found myself going from planning his 30th birthday celebration to his funeral. All I knew was that the day had to reflect him, as the wonderful young man that he was. To do this I knew I needed a celebrant who really cared. Robyn had married my best friend the year before and her ability to tell the story of their relationship made her my only choice. I wanted someone to tell my husband’s story.
I knew Robyn didn’t do funerals at this point but she agreed to help us. Thinking back now on how busy she was and how much time she spent getting to know about us all, her commitment was extraordinary. Robyn became part of our family, shared our loss and comforted us at our time of need. I knew I could trust her to honour my husband properly. Robyn ran the funeral both professionally and with heart. She read my eulogy for me and removed so much of the stress from an already painful day. We all simply knew that she would take care of the day. I had so many people comment on how well she ran the service and how it was perfect for my husband. I totally agree with them. Robyn with her commitment, professionalism and heart made one of the hardest times of my life just that much easier and I will forever be grateful to her for it.”
From Kate and Sally
– Thank you Robyn
We were thrilled with all your efforts yesterday – you have clearly taken so much time and effort and we are so appreciative.
You did such a beautiful job.. You have been so helpful, caring and delightful
Thank you so much for making our Dad’s ceremony so special.
From Jodie, Bec , Alan and Dezzi
I truly just cannot thank you enough for what you did for mum. My husband has already asked me to book you for him, when the time comes ? We had so many compliments about you, I will be sure to pass on your details and sing your praises.
Thank you Robyn, I’ve been singing your praises to everyone. I’ve had so many people say it was such a beautiful ceremony. You truly did a magical job and I’m so thankful I found you
From Tash
Dear Robyn,
The last four weeks have been a whirlwind.
I would like to thank you for everything you assisted with for Mitch’s funeral. We have had so much feedback about how seamless and beautiful the service was. We felt Mitch was cared for and respected throughout. I cannot thank you enough.
Many people have named you personally in your ability to set the tone and hold grace throughout a traumatic day for us all. They have also commented on your ability to bring warmth to such a tragic situation with your professionalism and nature.
Some others have said they usually find ‘non-religious’ services awkward but found the service for Mitch to be so powerful and informative. And felt inspired to be more like Mitch, to teach their children to be more like him, and all of that stemmed from how you spoke to all of us about him.
This is never a position I thought I’d be in. Thank you so much for everything. x
From Kristie
Robyn, you are a wonderful funeral celebrant. You had both the sensitivity and confidence to guide us through the most difficult of days. Robyn, you captured everything I shared about my Mum and wrapped it up into a beautiful service that celebrated who she was as a human. Every aspect of the planning process was considered and the day ran so smoothly. Thank you Robyn for being just the perfect person to help us say goodbye. ❤️
Robyn, it was a beautiful service and we had so many comments on how lovely it was.
Thanks for making it so special and completely seamless.
Thank you, Robyn! With your expertise, we were able to create the most beautiful service for Ben. It could not have been done without you. I so appreciate how you went above and beyond for us. You’ll always have a place in our heart.
From Tyra
On behalf of myself, Gary, Alan, and our entire family, we wanted to pass on our thank you and great appreciation for everything youve done for our family. You made this process easier, and guided us beautifully. The service was everything we intended it to be.
Robyn, your words were wonderful, and nan would have loved it. You are a wonderful soul.
From Jason & Galladea
Can I express a big thank you from my mother, myself and our family? The service was beautiful, and everyone remarked on the recollections of my father that you read.
I have to say that the whole process from beginning to end was made so much easier with your graceful and helpful support.
I truly appreciate what you’ve done for us.
from Kim…
Robyn was our celebrant for our Dad’s funeral, and we can’t thank her enough for making our Dad’s send off so beautiful. It was truly a great occasion celebrating his life. Robyn captured our memories of our wonderful Dad perfectly. Robyn is professional, caring, compassionate and guided us through everything in what was an extremely emotional time, providing advice and comfort to us. We received lots of compliments saying it was a beautiful service.
Thank you again Robyn for all your hard work making our Dad’s day so special.
From Brigid –
Robyn, you are bloody amazing! We love you – you are a legend.
From Michaela and Mary
Oh Robyn, We would all like to thank you immensely for the beautiful service you gave for Margie on Saturday. It was all so beautiful. We really can’t thank you enough for all the love and support you have given us. We are calling you the great Aussie boat stopper”
Robyn, it is you that we need to thank the most. You conducted my late husband’s funeral seamlessly. It is a great relief to us and the best possible goodbye we could wish to present to him. We thank you so much.
From Ilona
Robyn, you made all the difference at my Grandmother’s funeral service.
From being available at the eleventh hour, to late evening chats, to catering for our specific and custom requirements… Robyn, you just understood what we were after.. and you went above and beyond to deliver.
You spoke with heart and passion. You genuinely cared about the ceremony and did everything in your power to ensure it ran as seamlessly as possible.
My uncle, mum and dad both specifically commented on how wonderful you were in putting together such a personalised and meaningful presentation.
Nagyi would have loved it! I couldn’t recommend you enough.. Forever grateful and so happy we connected.
Thank you Robyn – from the entire family
Robyn, thank you for everything you did for us in farewelling our amazing father, husband, brother and son! It was a very sad time for all of the family and your thought and care made a very difficult day so much easier!
From all of us……Thank you!
from Cathy-
Robyn, thank you so much for today. It all went so well and I think Steve would have been very pleased with how it all turned out. Very fitting for the person he was. Interspersed with smiles and laughter throughout the day. You made the day so very special and we knew that we were in good hands with you at such a sad time for us. You made it all that much easier. XoX
We could not recommend you as a funeral celebrant highly enough. New to the funeral planning nightmare as I was, you were a calm, patient and reassuring voice throughout. You went to enormous trouble to make sure you understood who it was we were farewelling. You spoke with warmth, love and genuine empathy. You went above and beyond to ensure that every detail of the funeral service went without a hitch – no small feat in Covid times.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts, Robyn for all that you did for us, in such a dark moment.
-from Joanna
It has been almost a month since we farewelled my Aunty Sue. I can’t thank you enough for your kindness and your generosity to gift your talents to my family. She would have loved to have seen all the colour and the fuss. It was wonderful. You really are an amazing person. Sue would have loved to have seen all the colour and the fuss and knowing her funeral service was crafted by a fellow cat lover was a bonus. It was wonderful. You really are an amazing person Robyn. Although it was an incredibly sad time for me, I witnessed the care, respect and expertise that you brought with you on the day, and even the days that followed when you continued to check in with me and see that I was ok. We could not have asked for a better funeral celebrant. Thank you so much.
Thank you Robyn for helping our family and my sister and brother in law create the perfect service for my nephew, River. You connected so well with my sister and her thoughts/feelings and even with last second changes (which shows just how adaptable you are) and some pressures, you spoke amazingly. It could not have been done any better in such a highly charged emotional time for all.
Thank you so much from my family to yours?
From Jenny
Many, many thanks for your service, Robyn. Our whole family all loved this funeral. (Our very first Australian funeral.) You did very well and we are so appreciative of you.
from Monique
Robyn, you are quite simply the BEST celebrant in the country. If anybody is looking for a person to bring out the very best in any service, you are it…..
Robyn, you have a gift. A gift for words, a gift for people and a gift in your easy delivery.
You balance gravitas while being incredibly warm. You always strike the exact right tone.
You have a wonderful sense of humour and you know just the right way to use it appropriately. You also have an extraordinary ability to encapsulate a person, a couple or a situation. You relate to everyone.
I want to tell people…..
Robyn is whip smart and there is nothing she can’t handle.
I have been fortune enough to witness several of Robyn’s services. She connects immediately with people. The way she relates to the families is something to behold. At a time which is so important to get it right, Robyn delivers with style, every-time. Her capabilities know no bounds.
Not only that- she is one of the most organised and proactive operators I’ve ever witnessed. Nothing is too much trouble. I have watched her deal with issues and challenges with ease. Her ability to manage any situation makes her one of a kind. People love her. With good reason, she is amazing.
Just book Robyn. She is one of a kind. I enthusiastically recommend her wholeheartedly. It will be the best decision you make.
Monique Wright
From Susie
Robyn, I know your information came from David, but you really put it together well to give an excellent picture of Giselle. So many people afterwards commented on that and how you made everyone feel welcome and part of the ceremony.
Your warm nature really helped David through what is obviously a very stressful time.
From Marian
There are no words to describe my gratitude to you.
I felt the spirit of recognition, love, courage and dignity that you brought to the farewell of my Ted. I will eternally be indebted to you for your professional care and attention to detail. My family and friends appreciated your efforts too .
And all commented on the spirit of the evening; from the unforgettable timing of the sunset to the nudie popping up out of nowhere, Ted would have had a good laugh at that moment ♥️
From Liz
Thanks Robyn! You really have been an angel and your help at such a time has been so amazing!Don’t know what we would have done without you and on the day it all went so smoothly.
From Mark
Robyn, thank you so much for your lovely service. It was a beautiful day and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything that you did and said.
Loss. The loss of a beloved pet is as heartbreaking as that of a family member, because to those of us who have pets, they are family members. Letting them go when their time is up is devastating. In our home, we lost our beloved Rosie, last week, after a sudden illness. She has, as they say “crossed the rainbow bridge” but her lovely soft fluffy self and her big adoring brown eyes will forever be in our hearts. Rest In Peace Rosie. You were so deeply loved.
A candle lit here and others, lit, all over the world to connect us to each other in the same moment, regardless of the time zone. When there are many people watching from afar, it can really help them feel connected by asking them to "do something" to participate. This service with @sydney_funerals_co was created to give everyone several ways to participate.
Hawaiian inspired flowers for this service with @sydney_funerals_co at The Coast Chapel.
On Sunday, we celebrated a very special man, by wearing his favourite colour- yellow, eating his favourite food- chocolate coated doughnuts and dancing to his favourite music- Mambo No.5 and the Nutbush. We even wore stickers with his face on them. A memorial service can be anything you want it to be. This one was a true celebration of life in bright, living colour.
Choosing the right music for a funeral or memorial service seems like such a daunting task. Should you stick to traditional funeral-ish music? The classics? Do you want it to be heart -wrenching or uplifting? Are you choosing the music that would have felt good to your loved one? Or what you like?
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be posting some suggestions, tips and some stories about music choices and how to incorporate music to its most meaningful effect.
Tip No.1
Where to use music in your service.
Let’s start at the beginning. Music sets the mood. Your first song gives everyone a chance to settle in and be ready for what can be a whirlwind hour of emotions. Choose something meaningful to the deceased. For an elderly person, I always suggest considering a piece of music from their heyday, from their youth. If they lived through the war, perhaps it’s a war tune. For somebody of immigrant background, a song from their place of birth may be appropriate, if they still have strong ties to the country of their birth. I’ve not yet met a Scottish family that could say no to bagpipes. For a dementia patient, definitely go back in time to the times they could still remember, or to a time of happiness in their life, as these will be the times we are celebrating.
My lovely kind friends at @cjpicture_au made me this sweet little video from s recent memorial service. Everything about this day was personalised. The venue was chosen because it was local to where the family grew up. The incense, the petals were Buddhist inspired to reflect his beliefs. The beer and pizza served later were his favourites. Everything was simple and meaningful. The way it should be
Back in my teens, my friends and I used to wander through The Field of Mars Cemetery, in North Ryde, late at night. We thought it was cool, maybe a bit scary, but also beautiful. The sight of a huge angel, glowing in the moonlight was beyond amazing. These days, I am fascinated by the history of old gravestones, the stories they tell about families long gone, changes in language and societal norms , the struggles common to certain generations - wartime heroes, fallen soldiers, infants and children lost in the Great Depression. The headstones are mini history books, created to ensure that loved ones were not forgotten, long into the future and while they stand, even though so many have fallen over and stand askew, they continue to protect those memories - even if only to people like me, still wandering.
A bare footed/sock footed guard of honour for family to share petals in honour of their lost love. Sprinkling petals into the water was symbolic of ashes, but also a nod to his Buddhist beliefs.
.
thanks to @cjpicture_au for the pics
This outdoor memorial including spreading of ashes, was so beautifully put together. A procession to bring the ashes into our circle. Flowers everywhere. Photos, music, a champagne toast; and all of it outside in glorious sunshine.
