Not so long ago it was almost obligatory to send flowers for the funeral of a deceased friend or colleague. For some it was a status symbol. The size and value of the floral tribute gave an indication of social standing, and the accompanying cards were pored over by relatives of the deceased. The identity of those who didn't send flowers was a source of great conjecture.
Times change ! No doubt the hearse was enhanced by floral tributes, but these were left at the graveside - and in a matter of hours they were starting to wither - and within days they were gone.
A small request began to appear in death notices. " No flowers by request " !
The more practical could see no gain in large amounts of money being spent on flowers, and over time this morphed into directing such money to practical purposes.
This morning's Wollongong newspaper contains eighteen death notices. Eight of these request that instead of flowers, donations be made to life preserving or humanitarian organizations. Three notices signal that funeral details will appear later, and thus the matter of flowers is as yet unknown.
The selection of those to receive benefits from donations in lieu of flowers can either be a subtle hint of the disease that finally claimed the deceased - or an expression of the humanitarian values that person held.
Today's list mentioned the Childrens hospital, Bowel cancer research, The Motor Neurome Disease association, Kiama hospital, The Palliative care unit, Aid to disabled, Legacy - and Alzheimers research.
We live in changing times and this seems to be a more practical approach to death. The fact that donations replacing flowers now approaches the half way mark in death notices is a sign of our maturity.
The only people likely to disagree - are florists !
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