Tobin Brothers Funerals have been and will continue to be great innovators in all aspects of the Funeral Industry, by this time in the 1980s we of course have a fleet of company vehicles but this particular funeral service requested a Horse drawn hearse and we will always do our best to accommodate client requests. We even refurbished and customised a fire engine for funeral use! At Tobin Brothers, ‘if it’s legal, it’s possible’.
One of the most significant industry developments in the late eighties, built upon during the nineties and beyond, was the popularity of the Chapel Funeral.
This concept enabled the entire service to take place in the funeral chapel itself, negating the need for mourners to travel to a cemetery or crematorium for a service of committal. Building upon this trend, Des Tobin spent time in the United States studying what were being promoted as ‘life-centred’ services.
By contrast to a religious church service where the emphasis by the clergy is upon the liturgy, the life-centred service, usually led by a civil celebrant, becomes exactly that – a celebration of the deceased’s life. It is also a service in which a religious component can be included if that is the family’s wish. These were the early sparks of Tobin Brothers ‘Celebrating Lives’ ethos.
In 1987, the company expanded to South Australia.
FW Blackwell Funerals of Adelaide and Port Lincoln became the next Tobin Brothers Funerals locations and Norman MacLeod, a director of Tobin Brothers, was asked to run the Adelaide operation. Former Managing Director Des Tobin says the eighties was a significant period in the company’s history:
“During a relatively short space of time, the size and spread of the company changed dramatically. From a company operating in one capital city with seven locations and about sixty employees it became one with 18 locations and a staff complement of 150” – Des Tobin
(In 1995, Tobin Brothers Funerals sold their ACT and South Australian operations, deciding instead to consolidate and expand its business within Victoria).
In 1986, Tobin Brothers moved from its previous Ringwood premises to 331 Maroondah Highway. An existing church at the bottom of the block was renovated and turned into a custom Funeral Centre.
December 1986 saw the opening of Tobin Brothers new funeral facility which was reported as ‘the most modern Funeral Centre in Australia’. It also became the new home to the education division with a Funeral Services area, an Education Centre and a Seminar Room.
“Tobin Brothers are experts in dealing with death and bereavement and in many ways have taken the lead in educating the community in this area. They will soon be moving from their current premises in Ringwood to a brand new complex further along Maroondah Highway”
“The new complex will incorporate all the educational services that Tobins have developed, including a resources centre where community groups can meet. Books, for children and adults, audio tapes, videos and help and guidance from professional bereavement counsellors are available”. – excerpt from The Mail Newspaper, Wednesday November 19, 1986.
By the mid-eighties, the Tobin Brothers Funerals began expanding interstate.
Canberra Funeral Directors, which had been serving families in ACT since 1946 became the first interstate location of Tobin Brothers Funerals and the company soon took on the additional acquisitions of ACT & District Funeral Directors, Woden Valley Funerals and Creamer Funerals of Queanbeyan.
Now operating under the banner of ‘Tobin Brothers Canberra Funerals’, the new company and name was readily accepted and was managed by long standing Tobin Brothers Funerals branch manager, Gary Amott who moved interstate to run their operation.
(In 1995, Tobin Brothers Funerals sold their ACT and South Australian operations, deciding instead to consolidate and expand its business within Victoria).
Tobin Brothers has always been recognised as one of the industry’s most prolific innovators; A proud demonstration of that reputation is when the company launched its Fixed Price Funeral Plan in 1984. The creation of the Funeral Plan (under the management of economics graduate Gavan Tobin) came about because of the increasing number of people who were keen to put in place plans for their eventual funerals.
The most attractive aspect of the Fixed Price Funeral Plan is that the price is fixed forever so that even in the event of the purchaser living another ten or twenty years, the cost of the funeral, regardless of inflation, would remain unchanged from the day the contract was signed. A much better alternative to Funeral Insurances.
The appeal of the Fixed Price Funeral Plan quickly became evident. Other companies, critical at first, soon followed suit by introducing similar prepaid schemes; in 1993 all such funeral plans were protected under law by the passing of the Pre-Paid Monies Act in Victoria, this means that even in the event of a funeral company’s closure, the contract will be honoured.
In commemoration of its 50th year in 1984, members of the Tobin Brothers board, firmly believing it was time to repay Melbourne for its continued loyalty, established The Tobin Brothers Foundation. The purpose of this Foundation was and still is to make annual grants to organisations and individuals whose work could be shown to have “meaningful community benefit”. By 2024, the Foundation had made more than 376 separate monetary gifts totalling approximately $835,000 and these figures continue to grow each and every year.
During the mid-seventies, community attitudes to death and bereavement began changing. People were asking questions about death, dying and funerals they had never asked before. Des Tobin says it was obvious that people wanted answers and so, in 1978, with the assistance of Graeme Griffin, Tobin Brothers Funerals set up its own education and training division headed by former Baptist Minister David Treloar, who was appointed Director of the education division for Tobin Brothers Funerals.
“The work David did in the community not only enhanced the reputation of the Tobin brand, but it really made a major contribution to breaking down a lot of the taboos and fears and the general ignorance in the community about death, dying and bereavement issues. David’s work in this field can’t be too highly praised” – Des Tobin
Tobin Brothers Funerals acquired the much respected Padbury Funerals in 1977 which included its locations at 89 Maroondah Highway, Ringwood (now closed) and 816 Doncaster Road, Doncaster (where Tobin Brothers Funerals remains today).
The company now comprising sixty staff, was conducting approximately three thousand funerals annually and had modern branches operating in seven locations across Melbourne.
The first funeral conducted by Tobin Brothers Funerals was for Ena Margaret Price in 1934. In its first year, the company conducted 53 funerals and after the payment of creditors and the collection of debts, it made a modest profit.
