Townsville cremations: Council asks that ashes not scattered in Queens Gardens
Townsville Council says it has acted to stop “human remains” being scattered in otherwise picturesque Queens Gardens, with a funeral home agreeing there are better options.
Townsville
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A North Queensland council says it has been forced to act to stop “human remains” being scattered in a popular, and otherwise picturesque, rose garden.
Townsville City Council confirmed that it erected signage in Queens Gardens after gardeners were confronted by multiple instances of “human remains being scattered or discarded in the gardens”.
A council spokesman said a particularly popular location for grieving people to scatter ashes was “Townsville’s much-loved rose garden”.
“Council asks that community members refrain from discarding ashes in public places as finding human remains of varying levels can be extremely confronting and emotionally upsetting for both council staff and the broader community,” he said.
“Council’s gardeners spend a great deal of time and place a lot of pride tending to our botanical gardens, and unfortunately cremated remains being scattered on plants and soils can be detrimental to their health.”
Larry Newman, co-executive of Morleys Funeral Home, said ashes had the characteristics of cement dust and did not break down quickly.
“They are not a biological hazard unless you breathe them in, so the decorum would be that if you are not scattering them on your own land, you probably need to be seeking the permission of the owner of that land before you do so,” he said.
Mr Newman said the business offered the full range of funeral options, with cremation accounting for more than 80 per cent of its services.
“It’s less costly than burial, it gives you more options as to placement of ashes and if you decide to move away from Townsville it is easy to relocate.”
He said that even with cremation, families could still incorporate full funeral services, or choose not to.
“We really encourage families to have a meaningful service that will set them up for the future to move forward having said ‘goodbye’ properly.”
Mr Newman said ashes could be spread at designated locations at a number of churches or cemeteries in Townsville.
He said alternative options included on private properties or in the ocean, with some Magnetic Island ferry captains receptive to allowing the practise if asked nicely.
Another option, he said, was interment in an urn, with Morleys offering 1000 different varieties.
“A nice urn you can have on display in your home, there are some nice ones that look like cowboy boots and a rope and so on, they don’t have to look like a little coffin,” he said.
“That is a recommendation: Rather than scattering them in Queens Garden, put them in a nice urn, have them on display and think of your loved one regularly.”
It is understood that TCC is considering placing additional signs in other council gardens in the near future due to the prevalence of the practise.
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Originally published as Townsville cremations: Council asks that ashes not scattered in Queens Gardens
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