Live Streaming a Funeral at Rookwood: Chapels and Family

Yes, a funeral at Rookwood can be live streamed, in any of its chapels and at the graveside. The part that catches families out is not the streaming. It is that Rookwood is not one venue. Three separate businesses run chapels inside the Rookwood Necropolis, on different roads, and relatives regularly turn up at the wrong one.

The three places a Rookwood funeral can be held

• Rookwood General Cemetery and Crematorium, 1 Hawthorne Avenue. Run by Metropolitan Memorial Parks. It opened in 1925 as the first crematorium in New South Wales. The Art Deco All Souls Chapel dates from 1954, with the East Chapel (about 70 seats) and West Chapel (about 75) on the same site.
• Rookwood Memorial Gardens and Crematorium, Memorial Avenue. A non-denominational crematorium owned by InvoCare, with the South Chapel (about 120), East Chapel (about 70), West Chapel (about 60) and the Columbarium Room (about 50), plus outdoor screens.
• Rookwood Catholic Cemetery, run by Catholic Cemeteries and Crematoria, with five chapels: St Michael the Archangel (1890, about 70), Sacred Heart (about 100), Mary, Mother of Mercy (about 160), the Waterway Pavilion (about 100) and the Mausoleum of the Resurrection Chapel (about 175).

Before the funeral notice goes out, check that it names the road and the chapel, not just “Rookwood”.

How streaming works in a Rookwood chapel

Most of these chapels have their own AV system for screens and speakers in the room. That system looks after the people who are there. A live stream is for the people who are not: family interstate or overseas, older relatives, people who cannot get time off work.

We do not rely on the chapel’s equipment or internet. We bring at least three cameras, wireless microphones for the lectern and celebrant, and our own combined 4G and 5G connections, and we arrive at least ninety minutes before the service to set up and test.

Can the graveside be streamed too?

Yes. Many Rookwood funerals move from a chapel to a burial elsewhere in the Necropolis. We carry our own power and internet, so the graveside can follow the chapel service on the same link. Tell us the section of the cemetery when you book so we can plan the move between the two.

What to send relatives with the link

The viewing link is private and opens in an ordinary web browser, so relatives only need the link itself. A short message saves confusion on the day:

• The name of the person and the date and time of the service, in their time zone if they are overseas.
• The venue and chapel, for example the South Chapel at Memorial Avenue, so people attending in person go to the right place.
• That the same link plays the recording afterwards, for anyone who cannot watch live.

The recording goes up on the same link within a few hours and stays available for up to twelve months, and the family receives an HD copy to keep.

Booking

Tell your funeral director you would like Stream Catcher, or call 0403 355 445 at any hour with the date, the Rookwood venue and the chapel. More about how we work is on our funeral live streaming page.