A GRIEVING Alexandra Hills husband who was hit with an extra $1427 funeral charge the day after burying his wife has had the fees waived following intervention from Brisbane’s Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner.
The charges, issued by Brisbane City Council for overtime at Hemmant Cemetery, were reviewed and withdrawn after the matter was escalated, with the Lord Mayor directing it be treated as a priority.
Shaun Hodges, who laid his wife Judi to rest at Hemmant Cemetery on April 2, said he was “thankful” the late fee charges had finally been scrapped, but questioned why it took media attention from the Local Redlands Bayside News for action to be taken.
“I’m thankful for the Lord Mayor and for the paper for helping me when Brisbane City Council didn’t help me at all,” Mr Hodges said. “They just added to my grief, anxiety, and PTSD problems.
“Why does it take media pressure for someone to act?”
Lord Mayor Schrinner said he moved quickly once the issue was raised.
“As soon as this matter was brought to my attention, I asked for it to be reviewed as a priority,” he said.
“This is an incredibly difficult time for the family, and I extend my sincere condolences to them.”
The $1427 invoice was made up of several charges, including a $208 late chapel fee, a further $315 additional late chapel charge, and a $904 late cemetery fee linked to overtime for staff to complete the burial.
McCartney Family Funerals Managing Director Bryan McCartney said the fee itself was not set by the funeral home, but by Brisbane City Council, which manages operations at Hemmant Cemetery.
“Firstly, our thoughts remain with Shaun and his family following the loss of Judi,” Mr McCartney said.
“Supporting families through moments like these is at the heart of what we do, and we understand that any unexpected cost associated with a funeral can add further distress during an already difficult time.”
Mr Hodges said he was never warned during the service that time limits had been exceeded, despite deliberately booking the final timeslot of the day to avoid pressure.
“There was nothing during the service to say we were running out of time,” he said.
Mr Hodges, who had been married to Judi for 38 years and cared for her full-time during her battle with leukaemia, said the timing and size of the bill compounded his grief.
Judi, 61, died on March 24 after years of fighting the disease, outliving her prognosis by almost two years.
“She was a fighter through and through – for everything, for the kids, for me,” Mr Hodges said.
