The Examiner

Boutique care for bereaved

COMMITMENT: Simon Rice has been a funeral director for 17 years and says his team is "committed to their vocation." Photo: Supplied.
COMMITMENT: Simon Rice has been a funeral director for 17 years and says his team is "committed to their vocation." Photo: Supplied.

This is branded content for JA Dunn Funerals.

JA Dunn Funeral Directors is Tasmania's longest operating funeral home in Launceston, and pride themselves on being large enough to offer the full range of funeral services, but small enough to provide genuine care to grieving families.

They've been serving the communities of Launceston and North Tasmania since 1883, from their Brisbane Street location.

The funeral home includes an air conditioned chapel of comfortable proportions and stunning design, and the landscaped gardens offer a peaceful place for grieving families to come together.

Known as the 'friendly funeral home', JA Dunn Funeral Directors provide a calm and pleasant funeral planning experience, acknowledging the need to honour wishes.

"We don't have any set agenda on how a farewell should be done. It is entirely up to the family of the loved one who has passed away. We are there to facilitate that farewell and offer options," said funeral director, Simon Rice.

They understand that the modern aim of funerals is to accurately reflect the life of the departed, and that sometimes this might mean an alternative location of significance to the family.

"While we do have a fully appointed, large chapel, we can have farewells anywhere - at home in the garden, on a farm, in an airplane hangar, at a sporting club or any other venue the family chooses.

"As long as it doesn't break the law, we will figure out a way to accommodate your family's wishes," Mr Rice said.

CALMING ATMOSPHERE: The air conditioned chapel at JA Dunn Funerals is of comfortable proportions and stunning design. Photo: Supplied.
CALMING ATMOSPHERE: The air conditioned chapel at JA Dunn Funerals is of comfortable proportions and stunning design. Photo: Supplied.

The full-service, but boutique nature of their funeral home really sets them apart in the industry. It allows them to focus more on providing emotional support to their families, rather than logistical challenges.

"Being a boutique funeral home allows us to be with the family from start to finish - from transferring the deceased to arranging and conducting the funeral service, even to the point of completing memorialisation.

"There is one person looking after the family, not different team members for different tasks.

"Also by being a smaller boutique funeral home, we remember our families when they return to us for future business," Mr Rice said.

Serving the Launceston region is important to the team, especially as they are all active and longstanding members of the community.

"We all come from local families who are heavily involved in our community, so we often know the families we serve. We know the local religious communities and what they require from their funeral director," said Mr Rice.

This is branded content for JA Dunn Funerals.