A farewell for who they really were

We are allies — not as a badge on a website, but as a way of working. We listen properly, we don't rush you, and we build a day the person themselves would have loved.

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5.0 · 32 Google reviews

What we mean by ally

This one is personal for us

A farewell is made of a hundred small decisions — whose name goes on the paperwork, who gets called first, how a thirty-year marriage is described out loud. Getting them right takes time and a few good questions, so that's how we work.

Half of our founding team are part of the LGBTQIA+ community. This isn't a market to us — it's family.

We're independent and family-owned, so the people making the decisions are the same small team who'll be in the room with you. We'd like you to arrive already knowing you're welcome, and spend the conversation on the farewell itself.

What we do about it

What you can expect

None of this is an add-on, and none of it changes the price.

Your name, everywhere it appears

We ask for name and pronouns once, plainly, then carry them through everything we produce — the notice, the booklet, the tribute page, the celebrant's brief, and how our own team speaks on the day.

Care exactly as you ask for it

Presentation, clothing, hair, makeup, binders, prosthetics, jewellery — you tell us, and that's what happens. If you'd prefer a particular member of our team to carry out that care, or want to be there yourself, we'll arrange it.

The people they chose

Chosen family are family here. Where someone has named the people they want making decisions, those are the people we work with — and we'll be clear and early about anything the law decides for us.

Your privacy, on your terms

Not everyone is out to everyone. We'll agree with you what goes in the public notice, what appears on the tribute page, and what stays in the room.

Time to get it right

An arrangement meeting takes as long as it takes, and a second or third one costs nothing extra. Nobody here is working to a diary at your expense.

Rooms that will welcome you

We know the chapels, celebrants and venues across Melbourne and the Peninsula, and we'll steer you to the ones we've seen look after people beautifully.

You actively listened to us and understood what we needed when we didn't have the words or knowledge.

Jane Currie · Google review

Planning ahead in Victoria

Making sure your wishes are the ones followed

The question we're asked most, answered plainly. Four things worth doing, in this order.

Make a will, and name your executor

In Victoria, the executor named in your will usually holds the legal right to decide what happens to your body. Without a will, that falls to next of kin as the law defines them — so naming someone you trust is the single most useful thing you can do.
Write your funeral wishes down

Your name, your pronouns, how you'd like to be presented, who speaks, what music. Written wishes carry real weight, and they take the guesswork off the people who love you.
Appoint a medical treatment decision maker

A Victorian Advance Care Directive covers the period before death, letting you appoint the person you want making medical decisions and speaking for you.
Lodge it with us

Pre-arranging with Candour puts your wishes on file, with or without pre-paying. You can change it any time, and there's no cost to hold it.

A note on this: we're funeral directors, not lawyers. For a will or an Advance Care Directive, see a solicitor and use the Victorian Government's own forms. We're glad to talk it through first so you know what to ask for.

Planning ahead with Candour Pre-paid funerals

The people in the room

Celebrants and clergy

A farewell is only as good as the person leading it. We keep a working list of celebrants we trust with this — people who get the pronouns right without being reminded, and who won't flatten a life into something more comfortable.

Celebrants briefed properly, with the eulogy read back to you before the day.
Faith services where the person was a person of faith — we'll find the parish or congregation that will hold it well.
Entirely secular farewells, with no religious content unless you ask for it.
Family-led services, where the people who knew them do the speaking.

Where it's held

Venues

Cemetery chapels, gardens, sailing clubs, wineries, halls, back yards, the pub they drank at for thirty years. Our venue list runs across Melbourne and the Peninsula, and if the place you're picturing isn't on it, it almost certainly can be.

Every venue we recommend is one we've worked in ourselves.
Sea burial on Victorian waters, if that's the farewell they wanted.
Memorials held weeks or months later, so people can travel.
Transparent pricing on every option, published before you ask.

A garden funeral service with timber chairs and a white wicker coffin at a heritage property — **Garden setting** Chairs on the lawn, the service held outdoors, and room for people to stand at the back if they need to.

A service held in a winery hall — **Winery setting** A hall or barrel room on the Peninsula, where the service and the lunch afterwards happen in the one place.

Guests gathered together after a service — **Gathering after the service** The part people remember most — a long table, a glass in hand, and stories told properly.

Explore locations near you

If you're reading this for yourself

You're allowed to plan the whole thing

Plenty of people come to us years ahead, having watched a friend's funeral go badly and decided that won't be them. That conversation is one of the better parts of this job.

You can choose the music, write the words, name who speaks and who doesn't, decide what your body is dressed in, and put all of it on file. You can pre-pay so nobody is asked for money, or simply record your wishes and leave the cost to your estate. There's no pressure either way, and no cost to have the conversation.

Arrange a conversation

Frequently asked questions

How do I make sure my own wishes are followed?

Name an executor you trust in your will, and leave your funeral wishes in writing. That puts the decisions in the hands of someone who'll follow them, and gives us something clear to act on. If your family situation is complicated, it's worth doing sooner rather than later — we can talk you through what to ask a solicitor for.

What if the family don't agree on things?

It's more common than you'd think, and we're used to holding the middle ground. Our job is to follow the wishes we've been given, keep the conversation calm, and take the pressure off the people who are grieving.

Call us and we'll tell you honestly where things stand, at no cost. If it helps, a separate memorial held on your own terms is always an option, and we're glad to arrange one.

Will you use the correct name and pronouns on everything?

Yes, on everything we produce and control. Some legal documents — the death certificate and the cremation or burial paperwork — must record the name as it appears on official records, which we'll explain to you rather than let it come as a shock. Everything a family and guests actually see uses the name and pronouns the person used.

Can a trans person's body be cared for with particular instructions?

Yes. Tell us what you want and it's followed exactly — clothing, binders, prosthetics, hair, makeup, or nothing at all. If you'd prefer a particular member of our team to carry out that care, or want to be present yourself, we'll arrange it. If you'd rather not discuss the detail out loud, write it down and hand it to us.

Do you charge more for any of this?

No. Nothing on this page is an add-on. Our prices are published in full, and they're the same for everyone.

Can we hold a faith service?

Yes. Plenty of the people we look after are people of faith, and we'll help you find the parish, congregation or celebrant that will hold the service warmly. If you'd rather nothing religious at all, that's just as straightforward.

Out in the community

Where you'll see and hear us

Being useful to a community means turning up in it, not just writing about it on a website.

Festival sponsor

Midsumma Festival

We're proud to be coming on board as a sponsor of Midsumma, Melbourne's LGBTQIA+ arts and culture festival. Come and say hello — we're happy to answer the awkward questions people don't like asking in an office.

Media partner

JOY 94.9

Australia's LGBTQIA+ community radio station, broadcasting from Melbourne since 1993 and run largely by volunteers. We partner with JOY because everyone deserves a farewell that honours who they truly were.

Visit JOY 94.9

Candour Funerals

Come and talk to us

Whether someone has died today, or you're thinking about your own farewell for the first time, the first conversation is free and there's nothing to commit to at the end of it.

Call 1300 788 881 Ask a question