Burstows Funerals

Home
Australia
Toowoomba, QLD
Burstows Funerals

Burstows has been serving our community and providing complete funeral care for 125 years.

24/09/2025

Why would anyone CHOOSE to talk about death and dying? ... Because talking about it, rather than making it taboo, lets us prepare, helps us to live life to the full and honour the life lived, to live and die with dignity, and bring comfort to ourselves and others.

It can be a hard conversation … it’s intimate, emotional and vulnerable.

But on the positive side, it lets us speak about what we want from our life … as well as our death. What quality of life do we want and what are we not willing to accept? How do we want to be remembered? What legacy do we want to leave?

That’s why Burstows is proud to be a Gold Sponsor and taking part in The Death Expo – Demystifying Death and Dying – on Saturday, 11 October 10am-3pm at Hume Ridge Church, Toowoomba.

Burstows co-director Don Burstow will be on the panel for the Funeral Planning 101 Q&A, with other topics including The World of Cemeteries; Legal Process and Advanced Care Directives; Palliative Care and Voluntary Assisted Dying; and Paediatric Passings … all led by professionals in their field.

To find out who else will be there, including the Keynote Speakers, go to: https://www.deathexpo2025.com/. And please come along on the day - we’d love to see you there, and it’s free!

19/09/2025

Support and friendship can make a real difference when it comes to dementia because nobody can, or should have to, do it alone.

Yet Dementia Australia says people impacted - the person diagnosed, their loved ones and/or carers - often find friends and family drop away because they are unsure how to communicate or interact. The person living with dementia can also pull away from others out of uncertainty and embarrassment associated with their memory loss, leading to isolation and depression.

This Dementia Week, we encourage you to reach out to someone living with dementia, learn more about dementia, how best to communicate at different stages, what an individual experience it is, and help to destigmatise the estimated 433,300 Australians living with dementia.

If you want to become a dementia friend, go to https://www.dementia.org.au/get-involved/dementia-friendly-communities/become-dementia-friend.

The National Dementia Helpline - 1800 100 500 - provides expert information, advice and support, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, including providing emotional support and guidance, connecting callers to Dementia Australia and community support services and programs, and discussing government support available.

10/09/2025

“Are you okay?” is such a simple question but can make a real difference to someone who is struggling.

is a reminder to us all to check in with someone we may not have found time for recently in our busy lives. You may not even realise how long it has been.

People grieving a loss can often become isolated as they come to terms with their new situation, and others in turn can avoid reaching out, not out of malice, but because they are unsure what to say.

So, what do you do?

Ask are you okay?
Listen with an open mind.
Encourage action.
Check back in. 👍🏻

09/09/2025

"The empathy, support, love and companionship of others is essential to our healing when we're brokenhearted." In his handbook, First Aid for Broken Hearts, grief and loss expert Dr Alan Wolfelt says it's important to allow others who care about you in so they can help "hold you up and give you something to live for". What you need is people (not a crowd) who will listen and empathise, without judgement or advice-giving. Not everyone will be able to fill this role, but "the kind listening ears of even one other person can make all the difference."

Original photo: Anh Nguyen

06/09/2025

Thanks for being my strength, Dad. Happy Father's Day to those Dads we are remembering, and those we still have the joy of holding; to the father figures who have played important roles in our lives; and to those who are themselves grieving the loss of a child. You are in our hearts today.

You can find articles of comfort and support in dealing with grief on our News Blog at https://www.burstows.com.au/support-and-resources and on our Resources page at https://www.burstows.com.au/support-and-resources.

Photo: Anna Shvets

01/09/2025

Spring is here ... and although you might not be quite ready to fully appreciate it, like nature your life will bloom again after your loss, albeit not looking quite the same as previously. While unpredictable in its length, grief too will have its season. 💜🌷

29/08/2025

About 70% of Australians today choose cremation, according to researchers. Reasons include changing religious practices, the price of burial, and the more mobile nature of society (4 of 10 Australians change address every 5 years!), meaning we cannot necessarily visit graves.

Cremation also provides choices such as keeping the ashes in an attractive urn, scattering them in a meaningful location, making them into jewellery or even dividing them between different places or family members.

To talk to our experienced and caring team about the burial and cremation options available, please call 4636 9600 or go to https://www.burstows.com.au/arranging-a-funeral/item/burial-or-cremation.

19/08/2025

“I love it,” says new catering manager and chef Sarah Walker of her first 3 months at Burstows Funerals.

Born in Charleville and schooled in Toowoomba, including completing her 4-year apprenticeship here, Sarah has seen a good slice of the world since. She has run kitchens, opened a business with friends, worked at Mareeba and Kununurra, before spending about 5 years in Canada and Ireland, followed by Sydney and Brisbane; ultimately returning to Toowoomba 7 months ago. Her career has been incredibly varied too, from specialising in pastry to an RSL, restaurants, and even a hospital.

“When I left, Toowoomba was just a small country town – it’s a totally different place now,” Sarah explains of her homecoming, and the chance to bring up her daughter where she grew up herself.

And working at Burstows is the icing on the cake, as Sarah gets to continue her love of creative cooking, with a pretty unique side serve of compassion and caring.

“As a chef, you are usually behind the scenes in the kitchen, but I have loved the chance to come out and meet the families we care for in the Pioneer Room … make sure that everyone has what they need, as much as we can … and they have all been so kind and thankful.”

Good to have you back in Toowoomba, Sarah; we look forward to many happy years ahead!

To learn more about Sarah, please visit our blog post https://www.burstows.com.au/support-and-resources/news/item/meet-our-new-catering-manager-why-sarah-chose-toowoomba-after-seeing-the-world. To learn more about our catering services, please go to https://www.burstows.com.au/arranging-a-funeral/our-services/item/catering-the-pioneers-room or call us on 4636 9600.

14/08/2025

Change and growth require us to let go of one thing to move on to the next, even with ultimately positive changes … giving up "carefree" school days for adulthood, giving up single life to become a couple, giving up that life to welcome children and become a family, watching that child become an adult, and even saying farewell to working life for retirement. Every step forward, arguably necessitates a farewell.

Is grief a necessary part of growth? NHS psychotherapist and author of When I Grow Up, Moya Sarner, believes so. “I have learned that the capacity to feel loss and grief constitutes nothing less than the foundation of all mental health, from infancy through to old age,” she writes.

“Whatever life stage we are in, the inability to experience loss and to mourn it means we remain fixed where we are, unable to develop, desperately trying to hold on to whoever or whatever it is that is gone.

“It might be a person, a relationship or a dream that has died, but if we scroll or drug or literally run away from our feelings, the result is the same: we’re trapped. Without loss, without grief, there can be no growth”.

Photo: Anna Baranova Moya Sarner: The Guardian, May 2024.

04/08/2025

Already-strained family relationships can become even more tense following the death of a loved one. Loss brings many families closer, as they cling to each other in shared love, memories and to provide support. But for others, conflict, estrangement, emotional or even physical distance can make them hesitant to come together or to know how to do so. Our expert and caring funeral directors are experienced in listening and helping you to find thoughtful, meaningful ways for everyone involved to feel part of honouring their loved one.

To talk to us about your individual requirements, please call Burstows Funerals on 4636 9600.

01/08/2025

Burstows’ funeral service sheets are a personal tribute to your loved one, and provide a memento for those who have attended the funeral service, as well as a treasured connection for those who have been unable to attend.

Of course, they also serve the original purpose of allowing funeral attendees to follow the service with ease.

We have a series of prepared Order of Service designs (2-8 pages) available which can be modified to suit your loved one in terms of images, colour and text; or our qualified designers can develop a completely new design to meet your wishes.

To find out more, speak to one of our caring and expert staff. Please call us on 4636 9600 to see how we can serve you with excellence, or go to our website https://www.burstows.com.au/
to discover more about Burstows Funerals.

Address

1020 Ruthven Street
Toowoomba, QLD
4350

Telephone

+61746369600

Website

http://www.burstows.com.au/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Burstows Funerals posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to Burstows Funerals:

Shortcuts

Want your practice to be the top-listed Clinic in Toowoomba?