Tobin Brothers Funerals
Our Story
2011
James MacLeod was appointed Managing Director in February 2011.
As Australia’s largest family owned funeral company, a fundamental company objective had always been that ownership of Tobin Brothers Funerals remains in Tobin hands; however the family has never held the view that the business must be headed by a family member.
The belief had always been that, if no suitable person within the family was available to fill the role, then an external candidate should be chosen. So, following Martin Tobin’s resignation as Managing Director in January 2011, James MacLeod was appointed to succeed him. Although not a member of the family, James, his brother Peter, and their father Norman, had all been long time employees of the company and had all served on the Tobin Brothers Board of Directors.
Much to the chagrin of competitors, soon after assuming the mantle of Managing Director James promised client families complete transparency with regard to costs and services and this transparent approach to Funerals remains a core part of the company today.
2011
2012
Tobin Brothers Funerals hosts its first ‘Art for the Heart’ exhibition.
Art for the Heart was a free art exhibition that honoured the use of creativity as a powerful source for healing. It allowed members of the public to submit their works in any medium, to share these often hidden experiences of loss, love & hope with the community as a way of processing their own feelings while also having the opportunity to connect with and give to others in need.
Works were submitted from people from different cultures, countries, socio-economic backgrounds and with different types of losses. Both groups and individuals whose expressions of loss and grief were displayed in craft as well as painting, poetry, drawing and sculpture were displayed in Federation Square and various venues of Melbourne each successive year. Funds raised through the optional sale of artworks were donated to meaningful organisations within the field of trauma, loss and grief support, disability support and mental health organisations. The event continued to run annually until 2018.
“It’s amazing that people can overcome the worst moments of their lives to do something for others.”
2012
2012
In 2012, Tobin Brothers Funerals launched their Creative Communications division, comprising a group of people who possess expertise in voice, video, journalism, and graphic design.
The company now produces blogs and podcasts on many funeral related issues and produce video features on various ‘not for profit’ organisations who deserve funding and recognition such as The Wellington, The Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation, Redkite, Kids Helpline, The Aussie Swag, Zaidee’s Rainbow Foundation, Cultural Diversity, The Prostate Cancer Foundation, Motor Neurone Disease, The Organ Donor Registry, Beyond Blue, The Make a Wish Foundation, Operation Stitches and World Vision to name a few.
Tobin Brothers also filmed and produced 20 different multicultural commercials for TV and radio, has one of the most comprehensive and transparent websites in the Funeral Industry, and has an extensive collection of YouTube videos with millions of views per video with millions of views on videos about the funeral industry, loss and grief.
This Creative Communications division also manages the content and the community in the online space which has become another form of support for thousands of people.
“I very much wanted to build a social community, a place where people could find comfort and others who were dealing with loss and grief, a place where people could find help and information about death.” – James MacLeod
2012
2012
The launch of the Tobin Brothers MemoryMaker App in 2012 – a bold new initiative which was the first of its kind in the Funeral Industry worldwide!
Using tablet and smartphone touch-screen technology, the aim of the MemoryMaker App was to enable client families to make more informed decisions about products and costs, even before meeting with the Funeral Planner.
“The introduction of the Tobin Brothers MemoryMaker App has since assisted thousands of client families to make better informed decisions so much so that on numerous occasions when we arrive to meet with the client family to plan their loved ones funerals, many of the decisions and choices have already been made.
Often it was difficult for families to communicate in front of the Funeral Planner because they wanted to talk about costs, they had a different opinion of the colour or the style of what their loved one would have liked or would not have liked.
MemoryMaker made it easier for families and that is something I am most proud of.” – James MacLeod
2012
2013
Tobin Brothers was awarded a ‘Business Excellence’ Award by Business Excellence Awards Manningham in the category of ‘Technology Business of the Year 2013’ for our Memory Maker app.
Tobin Brothers Funerals was awarded the ‘AFE Innovation Award’ at the Asian Funeral Expo Industry Awards in 2013, for the ground breaking work done by the company in developing and marketing the MemoryMaker app
2013
2013
Tobin Brothers Funerals is inducted into the ‘Family Business Australia Victoria Hall of Fame’ as a Victorian family business that is recognised in its field of endeavour for their contribution to Australia’s future, community and culture on 10th May 2013.
Tobin Brothers was also named as the ‘Best Third Generation Family Business’ in Victoria.
2013
2014
The Generational Lord Mayor’s Commendations recognise family businesses that have operated continuously within the City of Melbourne across at least three generations.
On Wednesday 1st October 2014, the Tobin Family was awarded the City of Melbourne Lord Mayor’s Commendation ‘for the professional services provided to the people of Melbourne over four generations’. Leo T Tobin represented his family and accepted the award.
2014
2014
Tobin Brothers Funerals Celebrated Moments Coffin range launched in March 2014.
Once again showing their leadership and innovation in the Funeral Industry, Tobin Brothers Funerals launches an exclusive range of completely custom printed, vinyl wrapped coffins.
These personalised Celebrated Moments Coffins first became available in sixteen different designs to truly celebrate and reflect the life of a loved one. They can also be personalised with completely custom images.
2014
2014
Tobin Brothers Funerals opened the Tobin Brothers Museum at North Melbourne on 9th October 2014.
Encouraged by Tobin Brothers Funerals Chairman, Michael Tobin, to be a ‘living museum’, The Tobin Brothers Museum is not only a fascinating history of the family-owned company of more than 90 years but also an evolving modern testament to the innovation and professionalism of the people who work at Tobin Brothers.
The museum will continue to evolve and grow as new events unfold and new developments and changes are made to the industry. It is closed to the public unless under special invitation or request.
2014
2014
Tobin Brothers Funerals made waves on radio, formed valuable connections with radio personalities and told the stories of hundreds of Australians.
Singer and former Young Talent Timer Denis Walter, who was the Afternoon Program host on 3AW in 2014, became and still is an outstanding ambassador for Tobin Brothers Funerals.
Tobin Brothers Funerals also began sponsoring ‘The Family Counsellor’ hosted by Fr Gerard Dowling, and founded and sponsored various radio shows such as ‘Great Australian Lives’, ‘This is Your Sporting Life’, ‘This is Your Football Life’, ‘Sunday Celebrations’, ‘This is Your Racing Life’ and ‘This is Your Journey’ all of which tell the stories of various media personalities and Australians who have a significant story to tell which ties in with the company ethos of ‘Celebrating Lives’.
“Because some of the most glowing accolades are paid to people after they have died, we decided to tie our brand to these shows which celebrate the lives of eminent Australians, broadcast on mainstream commercial radio”
Interestingly, some of these interviews have in fact provided the interviewee with their last opportunity to share their life story and lessons with the world, further emphasising the message of telling our own story before it’s too late.
2014
2015
Tobin Brothers Funerals launches a new website, an update to its initial website in 2011, which is now arguably the most comprehensive website of any Funeral Director worldwide.
Maintaining his commitment to transparency, Managing Director James MacLeod says :
“One of my main priorities was to take the transparency of Tobin Brothers Funerals to new levels. For far too long I felt the funeral industry had hidden behind what I have termed ‘a veil of secrecy’ which created far too many myths and misinformation surrounding death.”
He adds “Whilst the website is a gateway to the information the community and in particular client families are looking for in their absolute time of need, it takes far more than a very good website to be a competent, caring and professional funeral provider.”
2015
2016
Acutely aware of the need to meet client family demands for the latest digital media playback and connection, Tobin Brothers Funerals outfitted each of its chapel locations with identical state of the art audio visual technology.
This enabled the webcasting of Funeral services so that a funeral could be viewed and heard live from anywhere in the world – a forward-thinking initiative implemented well before the developments of 2020 where live streaming became a necessity.
2016
2016
The Tobin Brothers Funerals ‘Little White Chapel’ opened in South Morang on 19th July 2016.
Tobin Brothers Funerals Branch location opened in Diamond Creek on 28th September 2016. This historic facility, once an Abbey, offers families a choice of two exquisitely decorated chapels and a superb refreshments lounge.
2016
2016
In line with the company’s commitment to transparency, Tobin Brothers Funerals launched the ‘A Day in the Life’ YouTube series in 2016.
“I felt very passionate about giving the community more information about what happens behind the scenes. After all, we are caring for our client families’ loved ones and I want them to know that our people are professionally trained, appropriately qualified and most importantly, caring.
We received remarkable feedback from the ‘A Day in the Life’ series which looked at the work of funeral planners, celebrants, funeral directors assistants, and our communications centre. To measure the success of this series, you need look no further than ‘A Day in the Life of an Embalmer’ which has now received in excess of 1.9 million views on Youtube.”
Jennifer Burge, an embalmer with Tobin Brothers Funerals for nearly twenty years says she is delighted there’s been such a positive response to the video for a number of reasons:
“I think it helped dispel some of the myths and misinformation about the embalming process and it was presented in a very dignified, discrete and non-sensational manner.”
2016
2016
Tobin Brothers held their first #SayItNow Initiative.
An initiative founded in 2016 and continuing each year since, #SayItNow is designed to inspire people to reach out to those they love and tell them how they really feel about them – before it’s too late.
Each year various ambassadors share their touching stories by expressing their appreciation for the impact a mentor, family member or friend has had on their life. Whether it’s a family member, an old friend, or someone who was influential in their lives, Tobin Brothers urges everyone to use #SayItNow to tell that special person about the impact they’ve had on their life and what that has meant to them.
Tobin Brothers Funerals Managing Director, James MacLeod says that “Too often, our people have witnessed the heartache suffered by families and friends who did not have an opportunity to acknowledge the impact a loved one has had on their life before they died.
“We felt compelled to develop #SayItNow as a way of reminding people not to wait until it’s too late to express your thoughts and feelings to the people around you. #SayItNow is a wonderful opportunity to encourage people to celebrate their important relationships by sending messages of gratitude to their loved ones.”
2016
2017
The Tobin Brothers Funerals catering division ‘Diamond Celebrations’ launched on 1 July 2017. Diamond Celebrations operate as independent caterers for a wide range of events from corporate conferences to birthdays and weddings, they cater the vast majority of services held at Tobin Brothers Chapels and also offer home delivery of comfort foods across Melbourne Metropolitan.
2017
Get in touch...
We can help you create the perfect farewell
If it’s legal, it’s possible. Let us help you create a service that truly reflects and celebrates the life of your loved one.
