As a professional, trained and experienced funeral celebrant in Perth, Kirk Goodsell takes incredible care of our Western Australian families.
We are honoured to have Kirk creating life celebrations for our Perth clients. His personal, approach allows for meaningful funerals, capturing, all those memories you have of your beloved.
Kirk, How did you make a name for yourself as a leading Perth Funeral Celebrant?
My first funeral was my grandmothers in 2015. After being a wedding celebrant for 7 years, I felt confident enough to give it a go knowing that it would mean a lot to my family. And after getting through that, I wanted to continue my journey in assisting families create special and beautiful farewells for their loved ones.
Why do you think you’re a great funeral celebrant?
I am extremely organised, efficient and professional when assisting my families which is crucial with the timeframes we have in organising and creating a funeral service. I effectively balance offering ideas and options as well as knowing when to guide a family in making the best decisions based on their circumstances.
Tell us a little about your celebrant career.
It started in Melbourne in 2008, I returned to my hometown of Perth in 2015 when my son Henry was born and have been fulltime wedding and funeral celebrant since then!
At Tomorrow we concentrate on creating ‘dignified cremations & remarkable memorials’ in one simple package, what do you think of this model?
This is a wonderful model for it incorporates the two main elements of a funeral – farewelling the physical body but celebrating the amazing life the person had!
What do you like about the idea of working with Tomorrow Funerals in Western Australia?
I like the idea of giving families the freedom to create a very personalised and tailored memorial service. Sometimes funerals can be very cookie-cutter which is absolutely fine if that’s what you want but for those who want something more, different or unique, Tomorrow Funerals provides the perfect opportunity.
What advice would you give to a family who needs to organise a funeral?
To remind yourselves that although a funeral is about your loved one, it is for you so don’t get too fixated on what you think your loved one wants and give yourselves permission to ask yourself, what do I want or what I do I need to allow myself to grieve and say goodbye…
How do you suggest families choose a funeral provider? What’s important?
Whilst time is a constraint, try to give yourself a little bit of space to look at different providers and options. Most funeral homes and companies have very comprehensive websites with lots of information. Don’t be afraid to look at something a little bit non-traditional or alternative.
What do you get out of being a funeral celebrant? Why do you do it?
It is such rewarding journey helping families get through this challenging process and seeing the relief when it’s all over knowing that they have farewelled their loved one and they can start the slow process of moving forward without them.
Which funeral are you most proud of? Why?
Any funeral where I have helped a family who have lost someone through tragic, very unexpected circumstances whether that be by an accident or died via suicide. These services are the hardest but I am most proud to hold this space when I am asked.
How do you want your own funeral to play out?
I would want my family to not worry about my wishes but rather do what feels right for them. I would be happy knowing they are content with their decisions.
Have you planned your own funeral?
Not really besides from the fact that I definitely want to be cremated!! No burial for me please!
…