Dear Carly,
I just wanted to say thanks again for everything! Organising Pop's service and tribute with my brother was an honour to do, though incredibly painful combined with the reality he was no longer with us. You and Tim made it all that much more achievable by being so supportive, understanding and available (even late on the Friday night). We appreciate how you kept us all in the loop leading up to the day especially as we were planning across two States. My Dad was distraught at losing his Father and best friend and you helped him through this difficult time more than you realise. Allowing my brother who had traveled from QLD, the opportunity to dress Pop gave him the chance for a final farewell and helped him process his own grief. Our Pop was an incredible man and at 98 extremely proud and wanted no fuss. You respected everyone's wishes and needs and I know he would have be honoured with his farewell. You have found your calling Carly - you and Tim are so empathetic in your support of families in this most difficult time and I am forever grateful. x Teena

Dear Carly,

I just wanted to thank both you and your husband for helping with our Pop's funeral. Your patience and dedication made this difficult time much easier on myself and my family. I'd also like to thank you for letting my brother assist with Pop's dressing. Spending this last time with our Grandfather meant the world to him and helped him immensely in processing his grief. You are a credit to your industry.

Sincerely,

Kyle

I wanted to express how carefully and beautifully arranged the whole funeral process was under the care and management of Carly and Greenhaven Funerals.
My sister chose to have a 'green burial' and Carly not only assisted the family with reviewing the options and provided guidance but also provided such a fitting service both beside the grave and at the memorial services.
I would without doubt recommend Carly and her team for the truly personalised service of a professional and caring business during our time of loss.
Whilst Carly only interacted with us during a few meetings prior to the actual funeral she really fully understand the person the character and the sole of the person that we were laying to rest - it was so very well done.
We thank you......

Thank you so much Greenhaven Funerals. Carly, your compassion, support and professionalism made for a perfect day to celebrate the life of our mum and Nanna!! Your friendship was valued and thank you again from the bottom of our hearts , love Jill Gary and the whole Craven family xxx

Dear Carly & Tim

My heartfelt thanks for the way you undertook the funeral arrangement for my dear wife Sue. True to her environmentalism Sue left strict instructions for a natural in-ground burial requiring the return of her remains to nature with minimum environmental impact. From my research it became clear that Greenhaven was the only funeral service in Melbourne that has a clear understanding of eco-burials notwithstanding the inherent simplicity of the approach. Your company's professionalism, care and compassion ensured the burial at Healesville Cemetery was a beautiful moment for Sue's family, allowing us to reflect deeply on the strong and wonderful woman Sue was and to farewell her mortal remains as she wished. Your role as celebrant at Sue's remembrance services, held in both Melbourne and Brisbane, was also wonderfully executed and resulted in a send off Sue would have been very proud of. In short I think Greenhaven Funerals Services are one of a kind and I wish you every success in the future.

Warm Regards.
Grant

On 10th October 2013 we lost a beloved member of our family. My parents lost their only son and I lost my big brother. He was a beautiful person and much loved by family, friends and especially his little sister. Our family had the daunting task of not only coming to terms with his death, but organising his cremation. It was something I never expected to be dealing with so soon. My father had spent considerable time contacting funeral companies and was not making any head way. I did a search on the computer looking for funeral companies that were accommodating and affordable. As I started my search, reality began to set in that my brother was no longer with us and it didn't take long for the tears to start flowing again. I knew it would be difficult to contain my emotions and to maintain my composure whilst preparing to discuss funeral arrangements for my brother with strangers over the phone. Most funeral companies operate 24 hours so I decided to make contact with 2 of the large companies late in the evening. The first funeral company responded with some empathy but were straight to the point with their dealings and I also found the price of a direct cremation very costly. My brother did not want a funeral with all the trimmings, just a simple cremation. The next company I rang were very professional but again they appeared very businesslike and there was no sympathy for what we were enduring. I searched for other funeral companies and the more I searched, the more heartbroken and depressed I became. My brother lived in Melbourne and our family lived in Queensland so it was quite a task to find a funeral company that were willing to come to the party and help us, let alone be affordable. I came across a website that sold merchandise for funerals and it was during my conversation with them that they recommended Carly and the staff at Greenhaven Funeral Services located in Melbourne, Victoria.
I had almost given up but thought it couldn't hurt to ring. On the verge of tears I rang the number and was surprised to be greeted on the phone by a very friendly voice so I knew straight away that it was worth the call. I spoke to Carly who was very sincere and expressed genuine sadness for our loss. She offered a sympathetic ear and listened to me weep and mourn the loss of my brother. I explained the distance and the fact that our family were unable to fly to Melbourne to organise the cremation. Carly did not judge our family nor did she in any way take advantage of our loss by ‘hitting' us up for pricing. She listened patiently to my ranting and understood the need for me to be emotional when dealing with the death of my beautiful brother. To Carly the loss of a loved one is not just a business. To Carly each client is treated as part of her family and the loved ones we have lost are treated with respect and dignity whilst in their care. Our first phone call was quite lengthy and detailed and for the first time within a week after my brother had passed, I felt at ease knowing that he was in the safe hands of Carly and the staff at Greenhaven Funeral Services.
After my father contacted Carly, he too was relieved and was ever so grateful for the service Greenhaven Funerals provided. Darren was released from the coroner's court into the safe hands and care of Greenhaven Funerals within days after speaking to Carly. It was full steam ahead. Carly's prompt service was exceptional and she kept us informed and up to date with the process from start to finish. There is nothing greater than knowing that your loved one is being looked after and cared for in their moment of passing with respect and dignity. Every time Carly rang she made sure that we knew Darren was in good hands and that everything that could be done to ease our suffering was being done! Nothing can replace the loss of a loved one and right up until Darren was cremated, Carly offered emotional support and in many respects, became my counsellor. Her reassurance enabled me to deal with losing my brother that much easier. Although no one likes to speak about the costs involved, and no amount of money will bring back a loved one, the fact is we still need someone to provide this service and it takes a very special company and caring people to deliver this. Greenhaven's prices are very competitive and reasonable and in fact this was one of the main reasons we dealt with them. In Addition, the staff's professionalism and compassion towards the family was most endearing and respectful and for this reason we chose Greenhaven Funerals.
Darren was a colourful person in life and in death and I sent a picture of my brother with the family to Carly so she could see him as the fun, friendly, caring and smiley person he was in life that we all adored and loved. I didn't want him to be remembered as a motionless vessel. Carly has shared my loss and given me much needed comfort during this very sad time. My family and I are forever grateful for the service Greenhaven Funerals have provided and we have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending them to everyone, particularly when losing a loved one. To me Carly is my guardian angel and Greenhaven Funerals will be forever in my memories and in my heart.
We would like to express our sincere thanks and appreciation to Carly and the staff at Greenhaven Funeral Services for their professionalism, support, compassion and understanding during this sad time and for taking wonderful care of the family and my big brother Darren.

Fiona (28th October 2013)

The support and care they take in your loved one is reassuring and helps make a difficult time much easier. They are there for you as much as you need even if its just a call if you are not sure on anything. Once again I thank you Green haven.

Very helpful staff during difficult time, Carly is a very capable and helpful person, available to reach anytime
many thanks

Approximate cost: $6200

Carly i cant thank you enough, you did and your team did an amazing job caring for Julie and her mum at this difficult time. You realy went out of your way to help with the organizing everything and giving that bit of extra support which was greatly appreciated by all. Both i and julie will happily be refering you to all our family and friends.once again thank you for all your help and support

I chose Greenhaven from the internet I'd never heard of them. Anyone can construct an attractive web-site, and choosing someone on that basis alone has to be risky. But this time was lucky: performance was every bit as good as the promise - in fact, better. With great skill Carly managed to iron out different, even conflicting input from different family members, and truly "made it happen". She was available at all times. Apart from everything else, she effectively filled the role of celebrant as well as that of undertaker.

I was so glad that we didn't go to one of the big firms. One thing about going to a small firm is that you can't be brushed off onto the juniors that don't exist.

I doubt that the service we would we would have received from one of the big firms would have approached the service from Greenhaven.

Greenhaven was cheap in price (the cheapest of the several prices from several undertakers, and around half the price of some) but without any corresponding cheapness of quality.

Approximate cost: $4556.00