I recently had a funeral for my sister. While this is an overwhelming time for most, My sorrow was…read moreadded to by extra unforeseen problems. The Director of this service Caryn Barling went above & beyond my expectations to provide a unique & culturally sensitive funeral service. Caryn and Phil combined have a unique set of skills each. They can create a specialised touch to their service & they delivered on all my requests. I was impressed with Caryn's attention to detail. Eg: I choose a native flower which is hard to get, SBR got it & its presentation was amazing on the coffin. The provision of care and consultation for this funeral arrangement made a very trying time easier, than it would have otherwise been. It alleviated a lot of my grief. This Funeral Service delivers on their word & business. If you are looking for a 'Genuine Caring Funeral Service' contact SBR, In my opinion highly rated.

Not an ideal establishment to use or visit, however if the time comes this funeral home is…read morefantastic. They have handled the funerals for my mum and grandmother with full professionalism and quality coffins, and is another popular establishment that has stood the test of time and will continue to do so. A few years ago I was invited to a funeral which was held on site here at Manning's. It was different and moved away from those church based funerals. There were just a few of us scatted in a circle in the outdoor area (nobody is allowed to come inside) and despite being on a busy main road connecting to the city; the funeral was still private, yet professional and respectful. The person at Manning's conducting the service was poised, graceful and respectful of our feelings. Sadly this service may be needed again in the future; not that this is something we want to think about; however when it is needed - Manning's is a great choice. It has been freshly painted since, yet they still keep the white theme with some hints of purple. Beautiful and well maintained building as well. A great locale to pay your respects and say goodbye to loved one's in style away from the church.

A beautiful part of the Bondi to Coogee walk! This old cemetery overlooks the sea- a picturesque…read morefinal resting place for people of the Bronte area. There's a nice walkway that connects you through the cemetery, with park benches to hang out at, and wide lanes to stroll along. I didn't recognize any of the grave markers, but I wouldn't expect to. Many of the graves had naturally growing yellow flowers on them, which was nice. The markers were all in generally good condition, and you could clearly read who was buried where. The area is also landscaped, with nice flowers and succulent plants. It's a quiet place to watch the tide roll in, and get some rest while taking the beach-to-beach walk.

My Bondi to Congee Coastal Walk routed me through Waverley Cemetery…read more This is definitely not on my has to do list while visiting Sydney. But we enjoyed some moment of quiet times and showing our respect to some of the notable famous people that laid to rest in this cemetery. The ground is nice and a great view of the ocean. We were detoured around a little as the actual Coastal Walk route was closed due to the damage from the storms of early June 2016. Opened since 1877 and still a functional cemetery. A final resting place with a breath taking view, just maybe...

My parents were vacationing in Australia when my father had a heart attack. He fought hard, but…read morepassed away. At one of the lowest points in life, we needed to figure out how to get dad back home to the USA for burial. By chance, we found Mark Mills, the repatriation manager at AMAR. This man is absolutely amazing. He made one of the hardest times in life just a little bit easier. He walked us through the entire process and even took care of some steps that would have been difficult for us, both as foreigners and as mourners. He added a human touch to the funeral business and my family will be forever grateful for what he did to help us and how he put a caring, human face to this tragedy that we were going through.

Hey! Who hid this sneaky little bad boy back here?…read more Often, when I was sailing three sheets to the wind at the Newtown Festival, with a sauce-laden haute dog in one hand and a cold damned beer in t'other, I'd look up at the big grey bulwark of a wall, stained and monolithic, huge and ancient, and wonder what was on the other side. Narnia, most probably. But damned if I didn't find out the answer just by accident. Had a meeting up on King St. Parked down the side street near St Stephens. Had some time to kill (hey look, a cemetery pun) and wandered in to look at the church but overshot, ending in this quiet, sprawling, crumbling, beautifully decrepit graveyard bounded by the wall, yes, the bulwark, beyond which is Newtown's celebrated park, that very festival site where I've seen so many bands and tried on so many hats. Jeebus it's got a lot going for it. I was the only one in there, wandering around reading the gravestones (my favourite had a big rusty propeller, was erected by the mates of some shipbuilder that died, possibly tragically) and all I could think was, Man, if I was in a band this is where I'd shoot my music video. I walked out feeling cool, calm and collected, like the Dalai Lama must feel every day of his life. That feeling is hard to get these days.

In the middle of busy, grimy Newtown is this beautiful walled cemetery in the grounds of St…read moreStephen's Church. It offers peace and tranquility where you never thought you would find it. There are plenty of shady trees and tombstones, with lush grass interweaving a path between them. An oasis where you can't hear traffic noise or see anything commercial, it's a great place to get away from it all. You will find people wandering through and reading the inscriptions, walking their dog, sitting in a circle playing music, smoking the funny stuff and generally just hanging out. It's my favourite place to come the day after the night before with something greasy from King Street (eg Clem's Chicken) and let nature restore my health.

Paul and Mariana at Paul Lahood Funeral Services made all the planning and preparation of my Dad's…read morefuneral service a breeze which was especially comforting to our family. They called me 10 minutes after I left an enquiry on their website, booked the service at Rookwood Catholic Crematorium 13 minutes later, and came to our home to discuss all the details a couple of hours after that. We signed a release form 5 minutes into their visit that got picked up by one of their staff who then proceeded to pick up my dad for transport to their premises in Greenacre. They were so compassionate and understanding, we could feel the genuine care and respect shown to us during such a difficult and sad time. They arranged everything from transporting my dad from Nepean Hospital to his clothes, booking the service quickly and efficiently