MBE FOR GOLDEN LEAVES FOUNDER The history of the Golden Leaves founder includes the New Yearās Honours list of 2020 which included a name wellāknown in the world of funerals, and to many residents of Croydon and the surrounding districts. Director of Rowland Brothers Limited Tony Rowland was honoured with an MBE for his long career serving the community, both through his services to undertaking and the many local charity and community projects in his home town of South Croydon. His drive to help create an equal society too helped him achieve the MBE āFor services to undertaking and the community in Surreyā.
Tonyās Story THE work to which Tony was apā prenticed at the age of 15 in the year of the Queenās coronation quickly identified to him that supā porting people through the grief and loss of bereavement was an area in which he could make a difā ference. From that time on, his family funeral business has always been much more than a means of making a living. Now, at the age of 80 and still working full time, he can look back on innovations for which he was personally responsible, which have become standards the undertaking profession seeks uniā versally to attain. He is a man who has changed things with his initiaā tive and practical achievements. One such innovation was setting up, four decades ago, a continuing bereavement aftercare programme for all individuals and families makā ing use of his firmās services ā at no extra cost to them. He established this at a time when professional beā reavement counselling was yet to become generally available to grievā ing people. Dedicating specific memā bers of staff solely to this purpose, Tony ensures that sympathetic conā tact is made immediately following a funeral, and continues for at least a year afterwards, and often much longer. Both practical assistance and emotional support are readily and sensitively provided to people who are sometimes unsure how to cope in the oftenāheartbreaking situation in which they suddenly find themā selves. A second innovation was the esā tablishment of a worldwide network and support structure improving hugely the efficient and compassionā ate repatriation of deceased British nationals who die while on holiday or working overseas, and citizens of other countries who die in similar
Tony Rowland, Golden Leaves founder.
circumstances in the UK. Since 1971, Tony has been responsible for more than 40,000 such repatriations, utilā ising his personally established netā work of 500 agents throughout the world. He has always regarded this as so much more than an adminisā trative exercise and frequently goes far beyond the call of duty in his exā traāmile service. The 40,000 repatriations included the return of all the UK citizens who died in the South Asia tsunami. Tony is continually involved in the conseā quences of disasters around the world, including the 9/11 and 7/7 bombings, travel disasters, extreme weather emergencies and overseas hostage situations. Such work involves Tony in discusā sions with the Foreign and Comā monwealth Office and its embassies
and consulates around the world, overseas diplomats and foreign govā ernment offices, coroners, airlines, travel companies, insurance bodies and health organisations. As a result, Tony is regarded as an expert in inā ternational repatriation and lectures at Scotland Yard to police family liaiā son officers and to the Rapid Reā sponse Team at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Tony is also a training officer for new UK diploā mats being prepared for overseas assignments. Tonyās company, which was an ofā ficial supplier to the 2012 London Olympics, provides the official repaā triation helpline for the National Asā sociation of Funeral Directors. Another innovation was the deā velopment of his funeral planning company, Golden Leaves, which was
originally developed in 1984 and was one of the first funeral plan providers in the UK. The company has now grown to be one of the most reputable fuā neral plan providers in the industry and is now based at the No.1 Croydon buildā ing outside East Croydon station. Tony was instrumental in developā ing the first standards in the funeral plan industry when he helped develā op the National Association of Preā paid Funeral Plans of which he was chairman in the 1990s. Golden Leaves is also a founding member of the Funeral Planning Authority, proā vides funeral plans to all UK resiā dents, to British expatriates living abroad and include in their innovaā tions a green burial plan and the inā dustryās leading insurance plan. The Trustees in charge of all funds are very highly individuals including a reā tired vice present of the OFT and the President of the European Stanā dards Committee and Chairman of the UK National Consumer Federaā tion. Tonyās work has also been characā terised by his ability to relate to peoā ple of all ethnic origins and religious affiliations, and ā increasingly imporā tantly ā to those with no faith at all. Not only does he expertly meet the needs of the whole gamut of Chrisā tian denominations, but he is also equally adept at understanding and complying sympathetically with the customs of all major world faiths. For example, he is particularly apā preciated by the AfricanāCaribbean community, being almost unique in some of the services he provides. Tony has served as Chairman of the Croydon Association of Funeral Directors and President of the Lonā don Association of Funeral Directors. In this capacity, he has been a menā tor to many young people coming into this business as well as a staunch advocate for continually imā
proving standards. In addition to his exemplary proā fessional work, in which he exhibits great personal credibility, integrity and compassion, Tony is involved in local charitable and community work to a quite remarkable, often sacrificial, degree. As well as conā tributing actively to the work of such groups as Rotary, the Round Table, the Royal British Legion, Freemasonā ry, Scouting and schools he has perā sonally raised considerable sums of money through his tireless fundraisā ing efforts on their behalf. To faciliā tate its charity work, Rowland Brothā ers set up the Rowland Brothers Foundation, whose income is boostā ed by regular donations from the family businesses. One ongoing contribution to his local community is as Chairman of the Thornton Heath Business Partā nership, in which role he organises the annual Thornton Heath Festival, which he inaugurated 11 years ago. This highlights the work of youth groups such as Scouts, Guides, the Boysā Brigade, and Cadet Corps, with the aim of influencing young people to join them rather than the often knifeācarrying street gangs which opā erate in South London. Many people, even if they spare a thought for these dire circumā stances, do little but bemoan hopeā lessly the way things are. Tony has thought through the situation and tenaciously done something practiā cal about it. As a result, hundreds of young people have been influenced in the past 11 years. He works tireā lessly towards this end, both behind the scenes and with his sleeves rolled up on the front line. The festiā val in its first year alone led to 170 young people enthusiastically joining youth groups in the town. For a man so intimately involved in caring for those who have died, and their loved ones, Tony Rowland is passionate about making life betā ter for coming generations.