Griffith City Council has welcomed the commissioning of a new cremator by Griffith Regional Funeral Services, marking an important step in expanding local funeral service options for the community.
The new cremator has been fully funded and delivered by Griffith Regional Funeral Services, with no financial involvement or support from Council. While Council previously allocated $400,000 toward a crematorium service, those funds have been redirected to a future budget and were not used for this project.
Griffith Mayor, Councillor Doug Curran, said the project responds to strong community demand for greater choice.
"Council is not involved with the introduction of this service to the city," Councillor Curran said.
Griffith Regional Funeral Services owner Peter Woodward said the development represents a significant investment in the city and surrounding region.
"Griffith Regional Funeral Services is very excited to be bringing this service to Griffith. We expect to be fully commissioned and operating before the end of next week," Mr Woodward said.
"This project ensures families have access to more choice and convenience during a difficult time."
Mayor Curran said that while Council has worked closely with Peter over the years, this project is entirely his own initiative, completed independently and without any financial assistance from Council.
"Peter should be congratulated for his initiative and investment in providing this important service for our community who have been saying loud and clear for some time that they wanted this option locally."
Council understands that Trenerry Funerals will soon be offering their own cremation service.
"Council looks forward to the community having the choice of two local funeral directors providing cremation services," Mayor Curran said.
