By Casey Neill
Hundreds of mourners farewelled Tom Hartley at St James’ Anglican Church in Dandenong on Friday 18 August.
They spilled from the church into two halls on the grounds, watching the service for the manufacturing, scouting and community great on television screens.
St James’ was where Tom met his wife Margo and where they married 53 years ago.
Their sons Todd and Mark delivered eulogies, as did Scouts Victoria chief commissioner Bob Taylor, and long-time friends John Peck and Vic Landsman.
Mr Taylor said Mr Hartley was involved in establishing four local scout groups.
“There is a Scout hall now in Doveton due entirely to Tom Hartley,” he said.
Mr Peck said that meeting Mr Hartley at a Scouts meeting was a life-changing moment and “from that point onwards, Tom was my guiding force”.
“Tom has shown me through his actions how a person can make a difference in the world,” he said.
Mark spoke about his father’s extensive contributions to charities.
“He didn’t just send cheques,” he said.
The Reverend Noel White hosted the service, and told mourners that he’d shared a 60-year friendship with Mr Hartley.
“I can’t think what my life would have been like without Tom’s influence in it,” he said.
“His legacy is huge and all-embracing.”
South East Melbourne Manufacturers Alliance (SEMMA) executive officer Adrian Boden had many conversations with Mr Hartley after SEMMA moved into the Hilton offices.
“He remained throughout his career curious and creative on all things manufacturing,” he said.
SEBN manager Sandra George said Mr Hartley was “a true gentleman with a beautiful spirit”.
“He touched so many across the globe with his generosity, the world will be a lesser place without him,” she said.
Committee for Dandenong’s Jamie Sturgess said he felt privileged to have met Mr Hartley “and, for that matter, the whole Hartley family”.
“He was the kind of human being that you could only ever aspire to be like,” he said.
“I would never kid myself that I could be that good, that kind, that generous.
“I loved using him as an example of how those attributes could create success in a business as Hilton Manufacturing was a worthy winner of the PRBA in the 25th year celebrations and was built on those values by Tom and Margo, and Todd continues that tradition in his own way today.”
