When Ani Valatava last saw her sister Kinisimere, her body was lying on a trolley at the back of a funeral home in suburban Sydney, a white sheet laid on top of her.
"When we pulled back the white sheet , we saw ants coming out of her mouth," she said.She wanted to make a complaint but felt she couldn't because she lived in Fiji, and said the funeral director wasn't there at the time. Background Briefing spoke to dozens of funeral industry insiders, and families with loved ones who have died, and Kinisimere's case was just the tip of the iceberg.Just a year earlier, in another part of Sydney, Massimo Barone also had a negative experience with a different funeral home.
The mix up about what costs the original agreement covered might have been a genuine misunderstanding, but for Massimo, it was too late.Massimo remembered Adam telling him his father had already been embalmed and was being dressed. "I regret any confusion this may have caused and deeply apologise for any misunderstanding," he said.
When Errol's coffin was finally exhumed, officers found Errol's photographs inside, as well as his clothes, and favourite runners.Photo shows A man's hands are clasped while holding a gold chain with a large pendant featuring a skull. The watchdog told Massimo they recorded the details of his report and gave him general information about his rights as a consumer and how to resolve a dispute.
Another former employee, who we will call Cody, said that when it came to the tables in the mortuary, things didn't seem right either. Another inspection was carried out last week, after Background Briefing sent questions to the local council. The report lists three maintenance issues: a hole in the ceiling, damaged wall tiles, and no fly screens over the doors.Funerals are big business in Australia. Last year, there were more than 183,000 deaths in the country. And next year, it's estimated the funeral directors, crematoria and cemeteries industry revenue will reach $2.4 billion.