From the Maitland Mercury report:
The best way to go in 1902 was in one of the Fry Brothers’ hearses which were valued at £250 each.
Undertaking and cabinet-making went together in colonial Australia and the Fry Brothers made a particular success of it using this building, which still exists, at 395 High Street.
In 1910 they had three competitors, A.S. Mehan and Company, Frank Ward and William Loan and Sons. Source: The Rise of High Street, Maitland by John Turner
Full article available at Maitland Mercury, Sept. 14, 2013.
