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Feb 19, 2025

Embalmers find beauty in 'restorative art' of providing fitting farewells and comfort amid death - ABC News

By Pip Waller ABC South West WA Topic:Death and Dying Jessie Piper-Lilley, Blaine Little and Lisa Walter all work as embalmers at William Barrett & Sons. (ABC South West: Supplied) Bunbury embalmers

By Pip Waller

ABC South West WA

Topic:Death and Dying

Jessie Piper-Lilley, Blaine Little and Lisa Walter all work as embalmers at William Barrett & Sons. (ABC South West: Supplied)

Bunbury embalmers share what it takes to prepare a dead human body for a viewing or funeral.

While at times challenging, they say it's an important part of the grieving process.

It's hoped that highlighting the rewarding and essential job will inspire more people to pursue the career.

Over the last three decades, Blaine Little has embalmed thousands of bodies.

Embalming is not a job for the faint-hearted, he said. But the satisfaction of giving people's loved ones another goodbye is a special part of a fulfilling career.

At the forefront of his mind is a case he worked on just weeks ago.

"Part of our training is restorative art, and I recently had a case where a person had some pretty bad facial trauma," Mr Little said.

"Through the use of various stitches, mortuary wax and cosmetics, I was able to help him get to a point which I thought looked pretty good.

"When his father saw him, he was so happy he decided to have an open coffin."

Mr Little said some cases stung more than others, but it was important to put his feelings aside out of respect for the grieving families.

"A family isn't employing us to grieve — they're employing us to do a service, and of course, we're going to do that service empathetically."

Embalming is the process of preserving, restoring and sanitising a dead body.

Chemicals preserve body tissue, and fluids are distributed throughout the body via the vascular system.

Significant care is also given to the dead person's appearance, which includes hair washing, applying cosmetics, resetting features, and restoring the body after injury.

Chemicals used to preserve body tissue include formaldehyde and methanol. (ABC South West: Supplied)

Jessie Piper-Lilley was just 12 when she first set foot in a mortuary.

She was at a family event at William Barrett & Sons funeral home in Busselton, 220 kilometres south of Perth, when she snuck away, exploring.

"I stumbled into the mortuary where I saw my first embalming machine and all the cosmetics laid out on the bench and I was fascinated," Ms Piper-Lilley said.

"I just wanted to know what they were used for and how they were used. It's always stuck in the back of my mind."

Jessie Piper-Lilley says grief motivated her to become an embalmer. (ABC South West: Supplied)

But it was a life-altering event that sparked Ms Piper-Lilley's interest in preserving the dead.

Her daughter died at one month old. It triggered a curiosity into how her baby would be cared for.

Now halfway through studying to become an embalmer, Ms Piper-Lilley said it was a "beautiful thing" to restore and improve the appearance of someone's loved one.

To become an embalmer in Australia, students must have an embalmer mentor, access to a mortuary and complete a Certificate IV in Embalming.

Embalmers must be available around the clock to start work after a death.

Ian Warren, a Mortuary and Funeral Educators tutor, said students have to pay full fees as HECS does not cover the course.

He said despite challenges in attracting staff, embalming is a rewarding and fulfilling career.

Embalmer Ian Warren says the industry isn't the only one struggling to retain staff. (ABC South West: Supplied)

"It's common to hear someone say, 'you'd have to be a weirdo to do that job'," Mr Warren said.

"But it can be an extremely uplifting experience knowing that I've been able to help a family dealing with a horrible situation.

"We recognise that viewing a deceased person may not always be a positive experience for people, but one of the biggest regrets I hear from people is, 'I wish I had'."

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