Albany Creek Memorial Park
Albany Creek Memorial Park is located on Albany Creek Road at Bridgeman Downs in Brisbane; and was established in 1964. In more recent years it has expanded to incorporate a cemetery and crematorium, servicing Brisbane’s northside in particular, though a recent major upgrade in facilities has seen it attract families from all around the city.
Aside from a vast array of memorials, the Park is the first in Brisbane to offer a mausoleum; it has a florist conveniently located within the grounds, modern café and two condolence lounges and new chapels equipped with the latest technology. Albany Creek is ‘leading edge’ when it comes to this industry.
As a privately run cemetery and crematorium, you notice the difference at Albany Creek in terms of the facilities on offer and how they are seeking to continue building a traditional place for generations of a family to rest together. Sharon Pimm is the Family Services Manager at Albany Creek Memorial Park. When asked to reflect on the Park overall she refers to a brochure which focuses on the natural beauty of the Park. “Albany Creek provides a sanctuary where reflections and thoughts can flourish and resonate in a tranquil, inviting environment.
It is a place of natural beauty, maintained by staff dedicated to ensure your peace and privacy. Once established, memorials in our grounds are not just a marker, but a tribute for your children and their children to pay their respects.” Most recently the Park has invested in a new mausoleum crypt complex which has been established in response to the demand from the Italian community for more culturally appropriate memorials in Brisbane. The new architecturally designed crypts are housed within a mausoleum, which is the preferred method of burial among most Italians, and is not available anywhere else in Brisbane. The new crypts include a statue of Saint Pio as its centrepiece, and are part of ongoing improvements at the Memorial Park. Padre Pio was Beatified on 2 May 1999, and Canonised on 16 June 2002 by His Holiness Pope John Paul II, before a crowd of more than 300,000 people.
The statue is of great significance to the Italian community. The crypts have been built in a beautiful position facing the lake and have distant hinterland views. Local Scalabrinian Father Mauro Conte opened and blessed the new‘Crypts of the Sacred Heart’ in a recent ceremony attended by many prominent members of the local community including community leader, Leo Bozzi, President of Italian Catholic Federation– Aspley-Geebung section.“The new mausoleum crypts at Albany Creek offer a peaceful, gentle and fresh approach and will appeal to both the Italian and wider community. I encourage people to consider the new crypts as a real alternative to the current facilities offered.
The mausoleum crypts take us back to the traditions used in Italy” said Leo Bozzi in his keynote speech.“We have seen a noticeable increase in enquiries about crypts, and this is evidence that the many people in the local community are embracing the traditional Italian burial methods,” adds Sharon. Since the opening, Sharon says the Park has received numerous inquiries about prepaying. “There are limited spaces available and interested families are strongly encouraged to come and visit us in order to establish their preferable location as a single, double or family vault.” The modern café and two condolence lounges offer catering options for after the service.
The popular Bridgeman Lounge has only been opened for a short while, but has been very positively received by the local community. It offers families the option of staying together after the funeral service rather than going their own way or having to reconvene at another location.There are several menu options available to choose from. The Lounges overlook a lake and local wildlife, not to mention the beautiful gardens. There are two Chapels which have been designed to blend in with the landscaped gardens. Both Chapels feature the latest in audio-visual technology, so families can play DVD’s and PowerPoint presentations at the service.
Albany Creek also offer a free DVD of the service to its families. Family Services Manager Sharon Pimm says,“Families simply need to inform a staff member prior to the service that they would like to utilise this complementary service. This DVD will be a recording of the funeral service from a fixed camera mounted within the Chapel. All audio heard through the speaker system will also be recorded onto the DVD. The DVD will be professionally presented with a case and label printed directly onto the DVD containing the deceased’s Name, the Funeral Director’s Name and the date of service.
A copy of the DVD will be made available to the family 15 minutes after the service.” Whilst it may sound morbid, according to Sharon, “This DVD is proving very popular as it provides a memento of the eulogies delivered on the day. It is all just a part of our ongoing commitment to provide the highest levels of service to families.” Albany Creek Memorial Park is a well established, beautiful and peaceful cemetery and crematorium, and the resting place of many of the area’s oldest families. There are a myriad of memorial options available, while the facilities themselves are leading edge. Certainly the staff are extremely accommodating and willing to answer any enquiries.
