‘Bean counter to undertaker’ – Salvos Funerals director shares his journey
- deansimpson7
- Jul 16
- 3 min read
Did you know The Salvation Army is a funeral provider? Salvos Funerals is a trusted not-for-profit service owned and operated by The Salvation Army. Its services extend across most of NSW and ACT, South East Queensland, Melbourne and Perth. Malcolm Pittendrigh is the National Director of Salvos Funerals, and today Salvos Online shares his story.
BY MALCOLM PITTENDRIGH
The Salvos Funerals journey began for me in 2012. I was working as the Financial Controller for The Salvation Army Aged Care Plus team and had often wondered why faith-based enterprises like The Salvation Army had not seriously considered entering the funeral industry.
What started as a flippant suggestion around the boardroom table (along with other creative and left-field ideas) quickly gained support from senior leadership.
Following prayerful consideration and due diligence, the idea gained momentum. In late 2015, I moved on from my finance role in aged care to actively pursue The Salvation Army’s entry into the funeral industry. I often joke that I moved from being a ‘bean counter’ to ‘undertaker’ – the life of every party!
So, Salvos Funerals all started with a simple question: What if we offered funerals?
Initially, I researched the possibilities on weekends and in spare moments around my aged care work. In 2013, the idea gained additional traction, and at that point, we integrated the concept into the Aged Care Plus three-year strategic plan. Later that same year, we engaged KPMG to provide us with an overview of the industry itself.
Following additional interest from our leadership, we conducted further targeted research on population demographics and major areas of investment. The information collected was positive and reinforced earlier thinking. With an ageing Australian population and increasing mortality rates, together with our public reputation and the infrastructure and assets that The Salvation Army is blessed with, the business case was starting to take shape. Further due diligence and much prayer followed, exploring and moving with new opportunities as they were presented.
The opportunity appealed to the leadership because it would support people during a vulnerable point in their lives, offering dignified care and compassion during a period of grief and sorrow.
It also enhanced and supplemented an existing ministry, as many of our officers/clergy were already conducting the church-service element of a funeral.
As National Director for Salvos Funerals, I am responsible for the strategic direction of this enterprise. However, I am still involved in the day-to-day operation of serving families with honouring their loved ones.
For much of my 28 years with The Salvation Army, my calling has been working as a finance professional. I was intrigued and excited about exploring the funeral industry but had not carefully considered the seriousness of the subject matter of funeral work, or what was involved in performing a funeral, and a ‘start-up’ one at that!
READ MORE: Where grief meets grace
How would I cope upon seeing a deceased person for the first time? How do I address a family member who has lost the most precious person in the world to them? What do I say? How do I conduct myself at a funeral arrangement? It was daunting! I was completely out of my comfort zone.
The Lord, however, equipped me accordingly and instilled in me a passion for serving families in this way. I certainly fumbled my way through those early funeral arrangements but quickly discovered the most precious of vocations. I love it!
Fast forward to 2025, and we have served more than 4000 families in our brief history. We have a footprint that extends across most of NSW, ACT, Melbourne, Perth and more recently (from March 2025), Southeast Queensland … and we are growing.
For more information on Salvos Funerals, click here
