OUR STORY

Five generations of caring for families

AMAR International Repatriations grew from one of Australia’s oldest family funeral firms. The Allison family has cared for the bereaved for more than 150 years, and that experience now helps families bring loved ones home from anywhere in the world.

Born in Liverpool in 1806, Thomas Allison established himself as a cabinet maker, blind maker and undertaker in Camberwell, London. It was there in 1844 that John was born. In the 1860s, John Allison arrived in Melbourne and soon after purchased the business of John Little in Simpsons Road (Victoria St), Richmond, which had commenced there in 1851.

1851
The year the family business began in Melbourne
5 generations
of the Allison family in funeral service
State funerals
entrusted to the firm, including Sir Robert Menzies in 1978
Worldwide
repatriation for families in Australia and overseas

Our history

More than a century and a half of funeral service, passed from one generation to the next.

1851

The business begins

The funeral business of John Little commences in Simpsons Road (Victoria St), Richmond.

1860s

John Allison arrives

John Allison arrives in Melbourne and soon purchases the business. Richmond becomes the firm’s headquarters for many years.

1921

The next generation

John’s sons, Jack and Roy, take over from their father. In the late 1920s Roy buys out his brother’s share and renames the firm John (Roy V) Allison.

1944

A family partnership

Roy’s sons John and Rob are taken into partnership. After returning from service during the war, they become involved in managing the business.

1956

Allison Monkhouse

The family purchases J. Monkhouse & Son in Brighton and Sandringham. After Roy’s death in 1957, John and Rob carry on the business in equal ownership.

1970s

The fifth generation

Clive, Rob’s son, enters the firm. Managing Director since 1988, he has continued to make Allison Monkhouse one of the foremost funeral firms in the world.

1995

Order of Australia

Rob is made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for service to the funeral industry, including his role in the return of the Unknown Soldier, and to the community.

TODAY

Caring across borders

Clive was thanked by both the Swedish and Australian governments for his work in the tsunami relief in Thailand. That experience lives on in AMAR International’s repatriation work.

Recognised by our industry

Industry honours

Roy was elected Honorary Life Member of the Australian Funeral Directors’ Association (AFDA). John was elected Life Councillor of the AFDA in 1969, and Rob in 1978.

British Institute of Embalmers

Roy and his son John were elected Fellows of the British Institute of Embalmers. Roy was the first Fellow outside the UK.

Loyal staff

None of this would be possible without the continuing help of loyal staff, many of whom have had a long association with our company.

Robert Crichton Allison

The Sydney Morning Herald’s article

FUNERAL DIRECTOR – Robert Crichton Allison

4-4-1919 — 27-11-2012

FUNERAL director Robert Crichton Allison, who has died aged 93, had many notable moments in his life, but arranging the funeral in 1978 of Sir Robert Menzies was one that stood out.

Numerous dignitaries, including Prince Charles (representing the Queen), attended and more than 100,000 people witnessed the procession after it left Scots’ Church, Melbourne. The firm John Allison/Monkhouse was given the assignment by the then prime minister’s office – and had only four days to arrange it.

It was a mammoth organisational task but was considered such a model of excellence that it became the industry standard for future state funerals.

John Allison/Monkhouse went on to manage the state funerals of Sir Billy Snedden, Lord Casey, Sir Arthur Rylah and Senator Don Chipp, among others.

This gave the firm a high profile and later led Allison, as Australia’s national funeral director in Belgium and France, to co-ordinate the exhumation and return of the remains of the Unknown Australian Soldier to Australian soil from France to be buried in the Hall of Memory at the Australian War Memorial on November 11, 1993.

Affectionately known as Rob throughout the industry (and Mr Rob within his own organisation), Allison regarded it a privilege to serve people in their time of need. He understood them and the associated pressures and procedures.

During what became a very full life, Allison was an inspiration and mentor to many, regarding “competitors” as colleagues rather than “opposition”.

How repatriation works

Every stage explained, from the first call to the handover at home.

Have a question?

Answers to the questions families ask us most often.

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