Short History

Hickey & Co was established in 1927 by Len Hickey as a coffin and casket manufacturing business. By 1930 Len’s brother in law Eligio (Paul) Castaldi joined the company and went on to buy Len out in 1934. Eligio soon recognised the need for coffin and casket hardware and by the mid 1930’s the first range of handles and ornaments was released. This range had a large impact on the market and many of these original designs remain extremely popular today and have been replicated world wide. By 1946 the company had outgrown its inner city Sydney premises and moved from Camperdown to Petersham. Around this time Hickey & Co started the “Sales trip” which took the samples and stock directly to the customers right across the nation – another tradition that still remains strong today.

Paul Francis Castaldi joined his father in the business at the age of 18 in 1954. He was quickly put to work as a travelling salesman, a role he excelled at and continued even when he was running the company after his father’s death in 1966. The early 1970’s saw the company expand into even more international products and Hickey & Co was the first to introduce mortuary products from the USA into the Australian market.

The third generation of Castaldi’s, Paul Andrew (Pablo) joined his father in the business in 1983. Paul quickly made his name in the industry, like his father, travelling extensively and bringing the best products and expertise to his customers. The industry was deeply saddened by the shock death of Paul Francis in a motor vehicle accident in 1995. Paul Andrew then took the reins and continued to grow the business and was then joined by his wife Kate Cannon in 2008. Continued growth called for a much needed relocation to a new, larger premises in 2015 still in Sydney’s Petersham.

Hickey & Co represents the best international and local funeral products as well as manufacturing our own products including our drapery lines which are manufactured in house at our Sydney premises. Our team also includes highly respected sales representatives who have funeral industry experience and a wealth of knowledge to share with our clients.

Hickey & Co today remains the industry leader and is proudly an Australian family owned and operated company dedicated to providing quality products at competitive pricing with unrivalled service.