Brisbane’s Pinnaroo Cemetery buries Sonia Jordan in the wrong plot

A family will grieve a second time next week as they watch their mum’s coffin be exhumed from the plot she was incorrectly placed in and relocated to the one she requested.

Sonia Jordan. Picture: Supplied

Brisbane City Council has indicated it will reimburse a grieving family for costs associated with their mum’s burial after she was laid to rest in a cemetery plot far from the one with her parents she requested.

Councillor Vicki Howard, speaking on behalf of the council, said she was “extremely sorry” about the mistake which was the result of “an error by a private funeral director”.

Logan woman Peta Edwards’ mum Sonia Jordan passed away at age 75 on February 21 after battling a health condition for some time.

She left behind her two daughters, twin sister, and many others who loved her so much. Her family attended a gravesite burial service at Brisbane’s Pinnaroo Cemetery on March 1.

Ms Edwards said her family contacted the cemetery in January to determine where on the grounds Ms Jordan’s parents had been buried, as it was her dying wish to be buried with them.

“We asked for mum to be buried with her mum and dad – my grandparents – on top of each other and that’s what we paid for,” Ms Edwards said.

“We found out yesterday that mum’s been buried in her own plot.”

Her family was told by the funeral home they worked with that her body could cost up to $10,000 to move.

The council clarified anything the family paid in terms of the burial would be reimbursed, as well as future costs associated with the plaque and Ms Jordan’s relocation.

“They said they’re going to reimburse council costs,” Ms Edwards’ husband Nick Edwards said on Friday, after meeting with cemetery staff.

“Everyone’s sorry, but sorry doesn’t really cut it.”

He said cemetery staff told him on Friday that they hoped to exhume Ms Jordan’s body and place her where she was originally supposed to be buried next week, meaning “we have to grieve twice”.

“They said we have no costs going forward,” he said.

“But they certainly didn’t detail any compensation.”

Mr Edwards described the situation as “mind-blowing”.

Sonia's two daughters Peta Edwards and Lori Groves, Sonia Jordan, and Sonia's twin sister Rae Bradford. Picture: Supplied

Standing beside the grave as Ms Jordan’s coffin was being lowered into the ground, Ms Edwards believed her grandparents were buried beneath.

It was not until her family tried to organise a plaque with three names – her mother’s and her grandparents’ – for the grave this week that they realised she was located separately to her parents, “on the other side of the cemetery”.

Ms Edwards had not visited the site since she was a child, so did not remember where her grandparents were buried.

“That was my aunty that did that (attempt to organise the plaque) and they questioned why,” Ms Edwards said.

“And then the cemetery stopped all calls to my aunt. They’re not returning her calls or anything.

“We think it’s a mistake … have they mixed us up with another family? That’s the question we’re still waiting to hear.”

She said staff at the cemetery indicated they thought members of her family visited the burial plot on February 22 and agreed for Ms Jordan to be buried there, but Ms Edwards and her family were clearing out her mum’s room at her nursing home on that date.

Sonia Jordan was buried in the ‘wrong plot’ on March 1. Picture: Supplied

News of the error has shaken Ms Edwards’ family who are simultaneously grappling with the raw loss of Ms Jordan.

“It’s pretty ordinary that this is happening, and it’s disappointing because we’re still in the grieving stages,” Ms Edwards said.

“It’s only been two weeks since we’ve had mum’s funeral and then to find this out, that she’s been buried against her wishes …

“How can they muck something so important up?”

She said she felt “angry”, more than anything, about what happened. Ms Jordan’s twin sister was “beside herself”.

Brisbane councillor Vicki Howard said she was “extremely sorry” the situation unfolded in the way it did, explaining it was the result of error by a funeral director not by the council which operates Pinnaroo.

“Unfortunately, an error by a private funeral director has resulted in the omission of the correct burial plot number and caused this issue,” she said.

“I am extremely sorry this has happened. As soon as I was made aware of this issue today, I made sure council officers resolved this matter in close consultation with the family.”

The funeral director was contacted for comment, but did not respond.

Originally published as Brisbane’s Pinnaroo Cemetery buries Sonia Jordan in the wrong plot