Harrison Funerals Information

Harrison Funerals are an independent family business of funeral planning specialists, based on three generations of experience in the funeral industry: The current owners, Brenton Hill and his sister Wendy Blades and their mother and grandfather before them. In 1927 Sidney Harrison, the current owners' grandfather, began his work as an undertaker in a small rented shop and resident at 177 Port Road, Alberton (now adjacent to our Queenstown Complex). In 1988 the company expanded by opening a second branch at Hillcrest, knowing that many of the children that grew up in the western suburbs settled in the north-eastern suburbs. Hillcrest was opened to better serve the loyal 'Harrison families', demonstrating the company's commitment to their clientele. 1998 saw the next big change for Harrison's with the development of Harrison Funerals, Ridgehaven. Built on 3½ acres of land, this state of the art funeral home set new standards in the funeral industry, and continues to be at the forefront of contemporary funeral management practice. Hillcrest was closed and Ridgehaven became the north-eastern funeral home for the next generation of Harrison clients. After four years in the planning, Drumminor Gardens Cemetery opened in June 2002 on property adjacent to the Harrison Funeral Chapel at Ridgehaven. Drumminor Gardens is the only privately owned cemetery in the southern states of Australia and is integrated with a heritage listed site (Drumminor Homestead, circa 1843). The innovative design of Drumminor Gardens is viewed as revolutionary. Many of the design aspects have been adopted by other cemeteries both in South Australia and internationally. In response to increasing requests from clients for funerals to be arranged and conducted by women, a new division was established in August 2004. Harrison Funerals by Women recognises one of the most significant changes within the funeral industry, and employs some of the most professional and dedicated women in the industry. There has also been a recent update of Harrison's Queenstown premises. The original chapel with its stained glass window is still available for viewings and small intimate services, but Harrison's has now added a new and larger chapel to its premises to better serve the families of the Port and surrounding areas. The new Chapel features a glass wall revealing a waterfall cascading over rocks in a tranquil garden setting with a spacious lounge for the serving of refreshments. This new chapel addition makes the Queenstown premises the best in the west of Adelaide, matching the standard of our fine facility at Ridgehaven.