Our history
Honouring the past,
embracing the future
At Lonergan & Raven Funeral Service, we understand the importance of offering diverse funeral options to cater to the unique needs and preferences of our clients. Our range of funeral services ensures that you can choose the most fitting way to honour and celebrate the life of your loved one. Our experienced team is here to provide guidance and support throughout the process.
The Raven family arrived in Melbourne in 1841, and William Raven opened a drapery and furniture manufacturer and store in Collins Street, where he was soon also producing coffins. He formally opened his own Undertaking business at purpose built facilities in Collingwood in 1849, when the small Mebourne community was still a part of New South Wales.
His son William George (pictured) opened more premises over the next decades in places like Fitzroy, Clifton Hill, Hawthorn, Carlton, Northcote, and Kew.
When Willliam George fell ill, his daughter Ophelia (pictured) ran the business on her own for some years before marrying: an astonishing achievement for a woman in Colonial Victoria. She became a mainstay of many Melbourne charities, and newspapers ran notices when she was dying, advising the great and the good of Melbourne to pay their respects before it was too late. Her husband, Thomas McMahen, although Mayor of Fitzroy and respected JP and director of multiple charities in his own right, was referred to simply as her 'relict' after in her obituaries.
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Their sons William George Raven-McMahen (William George II or William III, often referred to in the Melbourne media in the 1930's and 1940's as the 'happy undertaker') and Hartley Raven-McMahen, continued the business into the 1970s. The last member of the Raven-McMahen family to grow up in a family still working in the business – Hartley II, known as Max – died as recently as January 2011.
Raven’s was one of the most successful and respected funeral companies of Melbourne’s first century, and the 1869 funeral of John Pascoe Fawkner (pictured) is still considered – at over 220 vehicles and 2.5 miles length - a contender for the record for the longest funeral cortege in Melbourne’s history.
Along the way most of Raven’s 19th Century contemporaries were slowly absorbed into bigger companies, that usually downgraded or ended their operations in their local communities. Raven’s has managed to avoid this fate and we still operate quietly and independently, serving the same community we have served for over 165 years, with our own particular brand of understatement. A decade ago, when head office transferred from the 1852 branch in Fitzroy to the 1854 branch in Clifton Hill, we called it ‘moving to more modern premises’.
The current directors at Raven’s have been with the company for many years, and intend to maintain the tradition of old fashioned, high quality independent service. We feel there is still room for the traditions of a Funeral Director being in, and of, their community.
W.G. Ravens
At Lonergan & Raven, we have a deep appreciation for our history and the legacy we carry. With a wealth of cherished memories and stories, our journey spans 175 years, rooted in the heart of Melbourne. From humble beginnings to becoming a trusted pillar of support for families during their most challenging times, we have evolved with the changing needs of our community. We are eager to share our remarkable history with you, and we invite you to join us on this journey of remembrance and celebration.
Lonergan & Raven includes both Melbourne's oldest surviving independently owned funeral service, and the family firm that brought it into the modern world.
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We are a traditional 100% Australian family-owned company, and active members of the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA), whose members are committed to the highest ethical and service practices.
Our main chapels are in Clifton Hill and Hawthorn, and we have access to dozen of other chapels and venues in and around Melbourne as needed.
Naturally we also book churches throughout Melbourne and Victoria, and make regular use of the chapels attached to the Crematoriums at Altona, Fawkner, Lilydale, Springvale and Bunarong.
Lonergan Funerals
Since the last Raven-McMahen retired in the 1970's, several distinguished men and women have been involved in the Raven’s Funerals story. One of them was Gerry Lonergan.
Gerry's commitment to Melbourne’s Catholic Community, and particularly to his favourite charity, the Irish-Australian Welfare Bureau, led to repeated requests for a ‘Lonergan’ brand in it’s own right.
Since the 1980’s Lonergan Funerals have became popular across Melbourne, and achieved great loyalty, particularly in the Catholic community.
Sadly Gerry died of cancer in 2001, but all the directors at Raven’s are committed to keeping alive his legacy, and his wife and sons maintain their interest in how his 'old firm' is doing.
We proudly continue to offer ‘Lonergan’ funerals as a tribute to a man who meant much to all of us. The business name was officially changed to ‘Lonergan & Raven Funerals’ soon after Gerry died, and that is how we answer your enquiries.