For anyone who has ever missed the funeral of a loved one or been unable to visit a grave due to distance, Charon Electronic Memorials by Axiom Business Systems will be recognised as a wonderful innovation. By providing memorials over the world wide web, the Charon system is an exciting new way to pay tribute.

It allows others to be active in memorialisation through visually appealing, multi media presentations with words, photos, videos, music and personal messages. Anne Field, the Director of Axiom, explains that they are not looking to supersede traditional methods, only to enhance them. In the past memorialisation has been confined to granite, marble or bronze memorials in cemeteries in turn requiring physical visits that can be impeded by distance or even physical ability. By offering the public another alternative to memorialisation Axiom is catering to our increasingly fragmented society where families and friends, often separated by significant distances, can actively participate in memorialising their deceased.

The preservation of memories is one of the most important roles that the death care industry can fulfil, and traditional methods are necessarily changing with technology. By catering to evolving needs within our community Axiom’s lateral approach to memorialisation is keeping pace with these changes. It is interesting to note then, that only one Australian cemetery in Western Australia has made this emerging concept commercially available to the public. As people become aware of their increasing options they will no doubt create a demand that the industry will be obliged to fulfil. In the USA, electronic memorials have been available for some time, Axiom’s second product called ‘e-search’ however, is unique and a world first! E-search allows anyone in the world to log on to the map of a cemetery and search for graves and information. This not only accommodates friends and families but also offers historians an alternative way to research and access the history and information that cemeteries provide to their communities.

Now people all over the world can pay a ‘virtual visit’ to a cemetery, contribute to a loved one’s memorial and interact with family and friends regardless of distance or time. The Charon Electronic Memorial system provides the ability to see, hear and remember a loved one and pay their respects in a secure internet environment. By taking memorialisation to the next technology step, Axiom isn’t only offering bereaved families and friends memorialisation alternatives, it is also providing a new way to record family history for future generations. Axiom, an Australian owned family business, was established in 1983 by Anne and John Field and provides dedicated service to the death care industry. For further information please visit www.charoncms.com