Former Sydney Dance Company dancer turned funeral director Alexa Heckmann launched Private Cremation Services, an independent Australian funeral provider committed to improving the funeral industry with affordable direct cremations servicing NSW and ACT for families seeking an alternative to traditional funerals.

Over her decade-long career in the funeral sector, Alexa, saw that families were increasingly looking to commemorate in different, unstructured ways – particularly after COVID – and the funeral industry was not changing to meet those needs.

“I felt that the sector had become obsessed with itself: the shiny hearses, the expensive coffins, the funeral directors parading about in their suits with inflexible judgements about what a funeral ‘should’ be. Microcosms within communities are searching for alternatives within the structure of the funerals they are familiar with. There is a place for traditional practices, but there is also capacity for change and growth within the structure of the standard portfolio we have historically offered families.” Alexa says.

Founded on Alexa’s commitment to empathy, transparency and integrity, Private Cremation Services offers modestly priced direct cremations centered on the person, not a business model. The direct cremation service includes transfers, paperwork, cremation and return of ashes, as well as a 24/7 support line, so families can focus on how to say goodbye their way.

Alexa says, “We are not a faceless corporation driven by investor expectations. I want families to feel deeply cared for and listened to, not push a narrative on them driven by profit.”

Alexa’s career change from professional classical ballet dancer to funeral director was a calling she felt compelled to answer, even when those around her questioned her choice. But after being entrusted with directing the farewell of a friend and dance colleague only one year into her new career, Alexa knew she had found her life’s work.

“For so many dancers,” Alexa says, “the transition to another career is generally met with trepidation and disappointment. We live in a society that considers death to be threatening and strange, and it may have looked like I was turning my back on an established and respectable career. But it was clear to me that it was the right decision. I have had the opportunity to apply my unique imprint to an industry which, at times, I found stuck in its antiquated traditions.”

With the launch of Private Cremation Services, Alexa remains dedicated to challenging the funeral industry to be the best it can be, while empowering and supporting people to have better experiences of funerals.

“I believe in a strong focus on the customer’s experience and a brand marketed not by a two-dimensional image but by a sense of undeniable assurance bound to who I am and what I stand for.”