When you choose K.M.Smith as your funeral director you are accessing expert staff, many of whom work behind the scenes to care for your loved one, with 140 years of unequalled experience.
Exceptional Care, Surprisingly Affordable
As a full service, family owned funeral director since 1883, K.M.Smith has always offered premium service at a surprisingly affordable price. Whilst not the lowest or the highest, our fees reflect the extent of our exceptional care and commitment in every aspect of our service delivery to you.
We are not a cloud based operation but a tangible one investing in real offices, hearses, chapels, private mortuary facilities, and long standing staff. By keeping everything in house, under the one roof, we are able to provide only the best for you.
Your Wishes
Because the cost of an individual funeral is determined by your wishes, inclusive of any cultural requirements, religious considerations, or prearrangements that may be in place, the final cost can vary greatly from $4,795 through to $20,000.
The only thing that doesn’t vary is our absolute standard of care, from the simplest to the most detailed of services.
“You showed such respect and kindness and we knew
she was being looked after by the best.”
Thank you all so much for your care of my beautiful daughter. You were on hand in Sydney when we had to start making arrangements to get her to Brisbane and you kept us informed all the way. You showed such respect and kindness and we knew she was being looked after by the best. Thank you so much again.
Having used your services in the past, we would not consider any other provider.
The service provided was excellent, and we commend your staff. We would not hesitate to recommend you.
Thank you.
Our family has used K.M.Smith for many years. We have always very much appreciated the personal touch. We cannot put into words just how happy we were with EVERYTHING. It made us feel proud to have given our mother the send off she deserved and wanted. Thank you again.
Our experience was that the whole team was approachable, exercised sincere understanding and performed their respective duties with great respect and professionalism. No wonder K.M.Smith has been around for so long! You set the bar very high. Please pass on our thanks to everyone.
We couldn’t have wished for more, nothing was too much trouble for you all. Everything we asked for was professionally organised, in place and delivered with kindness to us and respect for Mum. You all helped make for a beautiful, meaningful last humanly visible memory of Mum to be indelibly imprinted in the hearts and minds of our family. Please accept our sincere thanks.
I feel my words can’t do justice to how grateful I am to your team who made the worst time in my life easier and more beautiful than I could ever have imagined.
I will be recommending you in the future and I would like to say a heartfelt thank you to KM Smith for existing and providing the best of care for loved ones passed.
Mum especially appreciated the water available for the guests, and the care the staff on the service took in the care of all guests, especially the elderly.
She said that KM Smith has made the process very easy to navigate and that our care alleviated much of the stresses and anxieties they had.
Can I please convey how lovely the whole experience was for our family today.I would like to comment that Dad looked lovely and can you please pass on my thanks to all the other staff members who helped towards Dad‘s final journey.
So basically this is just a very big thank you to you all – from first point of contact right through until the funeral this afternoon. Thank you all so very much.
With your service everything has gone like clockwork, even though we were dealing with difficulties with our family who kept changing their minds. You provided a fantastic service for my Mum and Dad also as well as a lot of our extended families.
You recently forwarded to me a letter from a friend of my late mother.
I really wanted to thank you for taking the time to do that. We had really tried to get in contact with this person, but couldn’t do so, and it really bothered us as we knew he would want to know as they were such old friends.
So, our deepest thank you for what might seem a little thing, but actually has made a real difference to a few people.
Thank you for the exceptional service from KM Smith.
From the first phone call to planning the funeral, the viewing, to the staff who took care of us on the day and now the staff in accounts – everyone has been professional, caring, respectful and considerate. And that is why this was funeral number 10 for our family with KM Smith.
Mum also looked beautiful and well taken care of and that lessens the grief and burden on us knowing she looked so peaceful.
My mother-in-law recommended KM Smith and I can see why. Professional, considerate and helpful without being pushy. I think we only just scratched the surface of your good humour in the times we met with you though 😄👌
We’ll continue to recommend you.
Please thank all the ladies that were assisting with Mum’s funeral yesterday. She would have been so pleased to know that they were caring for her. They were all so kind and warm, it really showed that ‘feel’ for their jobs, and we appreciated that so much. ‘Thank you’ seems inadequate for how much I was comforted by their presence.
Thank you also for being such an accessible and approachable gentleman. Your kind and calm manner allowed me to relax and depend on you for the details, which is immeasurably helpful in this sad and taxing time.
Thank you for your wonderful service in organising the farewell to my husband yesterday. I could not fault your service from the welcome and viewing at Brookes Street, to the service itself. I particularly appreciated your advice coming from organising many funerals before ours. Your team were compassionate, sensitive, flexible and professional in every detail. Please let them know.
My father, Dr John Tonge, always recommended KM Smith and we, as an extended family, will continue the tradition.
Our family sends sincerest thanks for the organisation and delivery of Dad’s funeral yesterday.
Uplifting and humorous, it was everything he would’ve wanted, and many comments were made to us about how beautiful the service was. The video and leaflets were stunning, as were the floral displays.
Thank you again for making the day run so smoothly and for such a fitting send-off for our beloved father.
I would like to say thank you to the staff of K.M.Smith for a beautiful and memorable service. I would have been lost without you guys. You made me feel loved, comfortable and have the feeling that I was not alone.❤
My parents preferred KM Smith. So I googled, liked the foundress and the family firm concept. Everything from start to finish was professional and I could not fault anything. We are all very appreciative of the way you handled the practicalities and went the extra mile to accommodate any of our wishes. We are deeply grateful for the whole process that you put in place for us.
We take great pride in
understanding your detailed wishes
and delivering them
on the day.
A Very Personal Choice
We believe that what goes into a funeral should be chosen by you. We do not offer packages for this very reason.
Whilst our expertise extends to all types of goodbyes from state funerals to memorials and everything in between for all types of cultural, religious and personal preferences, the choices for your service are yours.
We don’t have fine print or pressure selling – when it comes to costs, we communicate what is involved and clearly explain the processes and associated fees and prices related to your choices.
Some of the things that determine
the cost of a funeral are:-
- If a funeral bond or other funeral funding is in place
- Where someone dies (at home or in a care facility or hospital) as this determines if an immediate transfer is required
- If repatriation (intrastate, interstate or international) is requested
- Whether the funeral involves a cremation or a burial
- If it is a burial, whether it is below ground or above ground in a vault and if embalming is required
- The extent of the service and if it takes place in a single area or across multiple locations such as church and then burial
- The choice of coffin in terms of materials used and the extent of workmanship
- The extent of floral tributes, orders of service or other printing and visual tribute production
- The length, style and number of death and funeral notices placed in newspapers
- Charges made by celebrants and the clergy, vocalists, organists and streaming / recording services
- Printing of service booklets and memorial cards
- Venue charges
- The extent of catering for post-funeral gatherings
When it comes to funerals, it is worth knowing three main elements make up the final cost:-
Funeral Director’s
Fees
Our Professional Service Fees – Cover the many duties our staff tend to from caring for your loved one to arranging, planning and conducting the funeral, right from our first contact with you through to after the funeral is completed.
They also cover our continued investment into the best equipment and facilities to safely and respectfully carry out our work to a standard second to none.
Our Coffin Range – In addition to Professional Service Fees, the other item we provide that is required for a funeral is the coffin.
Our history includes the carpentry of making our own coffins, whilst this has now changed we continue to offer an elegant selection of quality coffins, carefully manufactured here in South East Queensland by another family business.
Our coffins range from practical veneered particle board materials through to beautiful solid timber, with finishes and designs to suit every taste.
Mandatory
Fees
These mandatory fees are from outside suppliers for items essential to a funeral, such as:-
Death Certificate
This document is produced by the Registrar General’s office based on the documentation provided by the Funeral Director. We lodge the application for the Death Certificate. The fee includes Registered Postage to facilitate prompt delivery, however processing and delivery can take up to 10-20 working days after the funeral has taken place.
Permission to Cremate Permit
Only for cremations, this document is completed by an independent doctor once they are satisfied that there is no reason why the cremation cannot take place.
Cemetery Fees & Crematorium Fees
These fees are determined by your choice of burial or cremation and the fees of the location you choose for final committal. Burials can also incur the fees of stone masons when monumental work is required.
Variable
Fees
Many items included in a funeral service are not mandatory but personal choices each family makes regarding, but not limited to:-
- Celebrant / Clergy
- Flowers
- Press Notices
- Signature Book
- Service Booklets
- Video Tribute Presentations
- Organist / Vocalist / Other Musicians
- Butterfly or Dove Releases
- Limousine Service
These prices are as charged by the supplier. At K.M.Smith we also have a specialised range of funeral products available to you:-
Our Life Floral Tributes Range – Beautiful floral works of art for every taste
Life Memories Print Media – Professional design, print and visual tribute service for all funeral stationery and videos
Our Memorial Book Range – Handcrafted in Brisbane, signature books keep a formal record of those who attended the service
Our Urns & Keepsake Range – Our local supplier provides an outstanding selection of quality urns
Let us Help You
The cost of an individual funeral will be determined by the family’s wishes, cultural background and religious considerations. In cases where the deceased has made prearrangements, then those prior wishes will also need to be considered.
Funerals are very personal things
The ideal way the cost can be properly assessed is in a face-to-face interview with an experienced Funeral Director so that all the options can be explained and understood. The Funeral Director can demonstrate what is involved and clearly explain your choices.
Our staff are always available to assist you at any time over the phone or via email. You are also welcome to call into one of our branches
– we do recommend phoning 3252 2031 in advance or making an appointment, as we may be assisting other families.
No Service (Unattended Cremation)
There are many reasons to have a service. It is often said that funerals are for the living – in our experience this is true. However, there are times when ‘no service’ with ‘no attendance’ at a crematorium or cemetery is required.
K.M.Smith can assist in these situations, providing our excellent standard of care in making sure that everything needed for a No Service, No Attendance cremation or burial is professionally arranged.
We care for your loved one exactly the same no matter what level of funeral service you require.
