George Hartnett Metropolitan Funerals has extensive experience providing a wide range of multicultural services.
Over the years, our funeral directors have assisted with a variety of cultural and religious services, from Chinese Buddhist to Christian, Russian and Serbian Orthodox funerals amongst others.
Martin Gomes
Asian & Indian community
Martin joined the funeral industry in Singapore in 1967 and migrated to Australia in 1979 and has worked in the funeral industry in Sydney and Brisbane all this time. Martin’s vast experience in the industry brings a strong knowledge of our various diverse multicultural communities.
Martin has a deep understanding of our Asian communities and their respective faiths, including Buddhist, Taoist, Christian, Catholic, Atheist and Sokha and the importance of rituals, customs and traditions. Over the years Martin has also worked closely with our Hindu, Sikh and Bahai communities.
As some families prefer to repatriate their loved one to their homeland, Martin has developed extensive knowledge of international repatriation requirements and has strong relations with the various Consulates.
Martin particularly enjoys helping first generation families meet their embedded rituals and practices as closely as possible as allowed by local laws and sharing his knowledge with second generation families.
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Jun Li
Chinese community
Jun migrated to Australia 33 years ago from China. She joined the funeral industry three years ago. Before changing her career path, she was a Migration Agent and she also had her own private consulting business.
Jun speaks Mandarin and Cantonese and understands first-hand how difficult it can be to deal with language and cultural barriers when a family has lost a loved one and is looking to arrange a funeral. Jun specialises in assisting those looking to arrange a funeral honoring Chinese heritage, customs and traditions.
Jun has arranged many funerals, all of them remarkable in their unique way. On one occasion, she arranged and conducted a funeral for a Chinese family. The man that passed away was very creative. He learnt how to paint at 80 and played in a band. Jun and her colleagues decorated the space with his paintings to honour his craft. The family also requested that Chinese music be played. The family and guests expressed gratitude afterwards, thanking Jun for the perfect send-off for their loved one.
You’ll find Jun swimming in her spare time – she loves staying fit and healthy. She also loves cooking and making healthy dishes. Her favorite meal to cook is traditional Chinese dumplings, and she often brings a spare plate to community and social events.
Jun’s passion is her community, along with the George Harnett Metropolitan Funerals team, she supports Oriental Care and First Care. In addition to this, Jun is the Vice President of the Australian Chinese Women’s Federation in the Gold Coast, the organization has more than 200 members and is associated with many local community groups.
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Barry McIntosh
Orthodox community
Barry has dedicated the last 25 years of his life serving families in Brisbane. He is recognised in the Orthodox Churches (Greek, Russian, Serbian, Ukrainian, Macedonian, Romanian, Lebanese & Ethiopian) for respecting the Eastern Orthodox funeral and burial rites and understanding their various protocols. He has also a strong supporter of a number of Orthodox community events across South East Queensland through sponsorship and attendance. Barry is also a volunteer at the senior citizens and circle of friends group at the Mt Gravatt community hall. When asked what he believes is the most important part of his role, Barry says it’s providing customer service in a professional manner to deliver a memorable service for every family.
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