DECEMBER 2002

It comes to us all in the end

Why is she harping on about this subject I hear you say. Nobody wants to be reminded of this.

It has been brought on by two things. First the RSA Bereavement Plan that the Royal & SunAlliance Insurance Company has produced after a lot of persuasion from RNZRSA, and secondly going to the funeral of the husband of a friend. He was only 61 years of age, and so the frailties of the human frame came in to remind many of us there that we can go at any time.

First that Funeral Plan. No I am not going to advertise it as such, you have had the chance to peruse the brochure and see whether it is the plan for you. If you haven't received a brochure and application form yet, and you are a member of the RSA please telephone the Royal & SunAlliance on 0800 11 55 96 and ask for them to be sent out to you. It will not be everybody's cup of tea, but I'm told that a good number of you have already signed up for it.

I have had a number of telephone calls and letters both for and against the plan. Some members complain that they are too old to take advantage of it, but I would counter that you will not see another Funeral Plan that allows you to start paying in at 79 years of age. Most stop long before that. One or two members have been upset that very young people, aged 16and 17, can get the cover. A young person who has completed more than 12 months service in the New Zealand Cadet Forces is eligible to join an RSA (but, of course, under-age persons may not be in areas where alcohol is served); and many RSAs have youth sections so why shouldn't these young people have the same benefits in respect of this sort of insurance cover as the rest of us?

Other calls have been from members who are really happy that they can now obtain an insurance that will save them the worry of how their loved ones are going to cope when the time comes.

To me this last point is the most important, that we are able to put aside a little money each month, and know that we can have the funeral we want, and deserve, and not be a burden on those left behind.

Too many of us, me included, are not ready to die. I mean that in two ways, we don't think that it's time for us to go, but more importantly we have not got our wishes written down and our paperwork in order. By this I mean - have you written down your wishes for your funeral? Who do you want to conduct the service? Do you want hymns or other music? Are you entitled to a military funeral of any sort? If yes, is that what you would like to have? Do you want the RSA involved in the service? Have you thought about the plaque or headstone that can be bought through the Office of Veterans' Affairs? The list of questions could go on and on.

Also does any family member, or the executor of your will know where to find your will? What about information on your service record or discharge papers? If that is easy to find then eligibility for burial in a Service Cemetery will be more easily resolved.

A number of organisations put out forms for you to complete to show where all the relevant personal and important documents are located, and what your wishes are. No one form is going to cover everything. Even the one that the RNZRSA will be producing in the New Year of 2003 will not cover everything, but it will give you ideas on what things will be useful to your nearest and dearest. You will be able to complete an RNZRSA form, and then add more information on the back of it, or on a separate sheet. Don't forget then to tell everyone who needs to know about the safe place where you have left your form.

(The RNZRSA form will be available through your RSA Welfare Officer next year, please do not go pestering that hard worked person just yet, he or she will not have them. The RNZRSA Pensions and Welfare Manual is being updated, and this form will be one of the new features of the revamped manual).

Eligibility for a grave in a Service Cemetery goes with the list of wars and emergencies and some UN peacekeeping operations as was noted in the August Review for eligibility for War Disablement Pensions. Most of the additions are the later missions, including RNZN service off Mururoa Atoll during the nuclear tests in 1973. However, there was also expansion of the criteria concerning service in Malaya and Indonesia.

Some Service Cemeteries are already full, so it would be wise to find out from your local RSA just where the nearest one with space in it is located. The sexton of the Service Cemetery is also someone you might want to talk to if you and your spouse want to get a double plot. Remember that in this case, the eligible service person has to be the first to be buried.

If you would like more information about RSA involvement in your funeral, talk to your Welfare Officer, but you will need to remember that the RSA does not pay for funerals.