Unnecessary complications
By MM on Friday 10 October 2008, 14:13 - Journal - Permalink
Dad's death certificate arrived, and is full of errors.
I don't know who is to blame for this, but I am pointing the finger at the undertaker. She could so easily have given us the form to fill out, but instead insisted on providing 'the service'. Some of the errors are potentially complicating. Dad's name is misspelt. So is the place of death (and residence), the number of years spent in Australia is inaccurate by about a quarter of a century, and the place of his marriage to mum is about 10,000 miles off target. On top of all that, Rachel's name has been spelt wrong.
Too many assumptions were made. We weren't asked how long dad lived in Australia; we were asked when he arrived here. That was 1951, but he lived overseas many years since then. Dad lived in Australia about 34 years, not 57. If the undertaker had asked the right question, we would have given her the information she really needed.
The undertaker has put the place of mum and dad's marriage down as West Derby, NSW. Well, since the wedding took place when dad was 21, it is obvious from the information already given that he was not yet in Australia, so that was a clever trick. Moreover, there is no West Derby in New South Wales, it is a registration district in Liverpool, England.
I was talking to a friend only this weekend, and asking her whether she had sorted out her brother's estate. He died about two years ago and, on the basis of his name being spelt differently on the death certificate and the insurance policy, the insurance company has steadfastly refused to pay out. This is salutary - we don't want to get caught in the same bind.
I therefore called the NSW Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages today and told them about the errors. The person I spoke to said that she would send me a form to fill in. So, back to square one on the death certificate.
I don't know who is to blame for this, but I am pointing the finger at the undertaker. She could so easily have given us the form to fill out, but instead insisted on providing 'the service'. Some of the errors are potentially complicating. Dad's name is misspelt. So is the place of death (and residence), the number of years spent in Australia is inaccurate by about a quarter of a century, and the place of his marriage to mum is about 10,000 miles off target. On top of all that, Rachel's name has been spelt wrong.
Too many assumptions were made. We weren't asked how long dad lived in Australia; we were asked when he arrived here. That was 1951, but he lived overseas many years since then. Dad lived in Australia about 34 years, not 57. If the undertaker had asked the right question, we would have given her the information she really needed.
The undertaker has put the place of mum and dad's marriage down as West Derby, NSW. Well, since the wedding took place when dad was 21, it is obvious from the information already given that he was not yet in Australia, so that was a clever trick. Moreover, there is no West Derby in New South Wales, it is a registration district in Liverpool, England.
I was talking to a friend only this weekend, and asking her whether she had sorted out her brother's estate. He died about two years ago and, on the basis of his name being spelt differently on the death certificate and the insurance policy, the insurance company has steadfastly refused to pay out. This is salutary - we don't want to get caught in the same bind.
I therefore called the NSW Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages today and told them about the errors. The person I spoke to said that she would send me a form to fill in. So, back to square one on the death certificate.