F.W. Barnes & Son Funeral Directors

Thank you Simon and the team for the lovely way you all treated my sister Jo. A job well done with kindness, compassion and professionalism. Thank you to the celebrant, Joanne who did a great service describing Jo's life perfectly.

To Sharnie and the team at FW Barnes, where do i begin. To say we appreciate everything you all did for us, as a family, is an understatement. Nora's 'Celebration of Life' was nothing short of perfect. No parent should bury their child, let alone at 5 Years Old. You always approached us with the upmost compassion, love, grace and empathy. Sharnie was our funeral director throughout Nora's service, not only was she exceptional but she has this eye for detail that I've never seen before. I told Sharnie that i was a control freak and everything needed to be perfect for our little girl, she always pulled through and then some! Thinking of things that i would never of thought of, being 2 steps ahead of me at any taken time. Her organisational skills were impeccable. When i told her that we where going to have a large funeral and to expect over 1000 people, she did not bat an eyelid, we knew we had picked the right funeral director. I remember her saying to me 'even if something does go wrong, it is my job to make sure you don't notice, it is my job to make sure everything runs perfectly' and that it did! The confidence i had in her is something that i don't normally have in people, she made us feel so comfortable and confident throughout the entire process, from start to finish. Sharnie made sure everything was within our vision and even had more ideas. I cannot fault the way we were treated and the service we received through FW Barnes. I will recommend them to every single person that asks, and i will recommend them proudly. Thank you to every single person who had anything to do with Nora's 'Celebration of Life', i will be forever grateful. Most of all, thank you to Sharnie, you helped us in a time that we needed most and i will never forget the way you where able to take the pressure away from us, especially when we had nothing but pressure on us for the last 12 months of Nora's Cancer Fight. When our daughter passed, we felt like we had nothing more to give, we where and still are broken. You helped us in ways that no parent should ever need help, but i am so so thankful to you. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! xo

Do not recommend. Organising a funeral is already a hard enough time, unfortunately it wasn't made much easier by this business. The lack of empathy and compassion was more than disappointing from the staff who are in the business of dealing with grieving families! To state the least; Rude and righteous reception staff. Quoted to us many times 'we are so busy right now'. It was made very clear to us just how busy they were, and it was obvious as numerous mistakes were made with paperwork and a they 'forgot' to drive past the deceased residence on the way to the burial. It was all clearly outlined and requested by family. No apologies for any of the above, we were alternatively met with excuses and empty explanations of how much work they had done for us! Never again will we allow them to assist us in farewelling a family member.

Wonderfully caring and supportive staff during what was the most traumatic time of our lives. Sharni and Simon went to every effort possible to ensure that we farewelled our daughter with grace, dignity and nothing more could have been done to achieve what was a seamless service from beginning to end.

FW Barnes was very professional yet friendly and quite helpful while taking care of my mother’s funeral. I live in the U.S therefore didn’t know the protocol for funerals in Australia, and although my parents lived in Ballarat the funeral was to take place in Wangaratta which made the situation very convoluted. Simon Prague took care of all the details and made a very difficult and painful situation much more bearable as I could concentrate on consoling my father who was heartbroken. Thanks to Mr Prague and his team the details of the funeral were easy. Details and orchestrating transportation to another city while being able to make the necessary purchases to effectuate a smooth funeral service for our dear mother was facilitated in the true sense of the word. It was made so easy by Mr Prague and his staff, and I am very very grateful for their help and compassionate ways. Highly recommend FW Barnes without any hesitation.

Our family has had the most kind, careful, thoughtful and practical support from Sharnie - and Tanya has done a wonderful job creating a photo tribute to Mum. It will be treasured of course. From the family of Joyce - Thank you. June

Sharnie and the team were so wonderful to work with. They helped at the very last minute. Nothing was too hard and they honestly went above and beyond to give our father the beautiful send off he deserved. I can't recommend FW Barnes & Son anymore. So professional, so empathetic and caring. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. The Wallis Family.