Tobin Brothers Werribee Chapel opened on 12th August 1993. A plaque in the Tobin Brothers museum reads:
‘To commemorate the opening of this chapel a time capsule containing company history and records was placed here by Mr Leo J Tobin, a Director of Tobin Brothers PTY LTD on August 12th, 1993’.
The North Melbourne Chapel was renovated and reopened on 1st March 1992 by Alphonsus and Kevin Tobin, in memory of their late brothers and fellow co-founders Leo and Thomas Tobin. The renovation included a new pergola and stained glass windows in the chapel which are still in the chapel today.
Historically, the funeral industry had been the sacrosanct domain of men but all that changed in 1990 with the launch of Frances Tobin & Associates. Tobin Brothers Funerals became the first company in Melbourne to offer funeral services provided exclusively by women. Now known as Frances Tobin Funerals by Women, it is led by a third generation member of the Tobin family, Frances Tobin:
“Women are traditionally recognised for their ability to nurture, support and care for others and I believe it’s these qualities together with developing empathy through listening and open-ended communication that are the natural strengths of women.” – Frances Tobin
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.
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.
