James MacLeod's Blog
Valda Twaddle Trust Awards 2017
In 2006 I received a telephone call from Perry Westons Lawyers regarding funds that were bequeathed to me. I made an appointment to attend their offices and in doing so I learnt that ...
In
Community
Monday, March 26, 2018
Funerals Are Too Important To Leave To Just Anyone
As Managing Director of Australia’s largest owned family funeral company, Tobin Brothers Funerals, I would like to make the following comments on the widely reported alleged coffin swapping by Hart...
Tuesday, January 16, 2018
The Life Celebration of Daniel Harkins
On 18th June 2017, Daniel John Edward Harkins was returning from Bairnsdale after a race meeting when he stopped to assist a car that had run off the road between Sale and Rosedale, he was tra...
Monday, July 10, 2017
It’s your funeral, an investigation of death care in the Funeral Industry in Australia Comment
As Managing Director of Tobin Brothers I’d like to make the following comments on a recently released paper “It’s your funeral, an investigation of death care in the Funeral Industry...
Tuesday, June 13, 2017
Coping at Christmas
Christmas in many ways is about change.
As a child growing up, our Christmas meant an early rise and our pilgrimage would begin to my mother’s home town Willuara at the foothills of the Grampians,...
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Mother's Day Can Be A Very Difficult Day
Mother’s Day is a wonderful opportunity for us all to give thanks to the unique individuals, often affectionately known as Mum, Mother or Ma, who have cared for each and every one of us.
Equally, ...
Thursday, April 28, 2016
How Would You Like To Be Celebrated?
In recent months Tobin Brothers Funerals, with the assistance of Creative Director Robin Geradts-Gill from RGG Creative, produced four new TV ads that posed the question ‘How would you like to be c...
Sunday, December 6, 2015
Previous Posts
Tobin Brothers Support : Gach Nyuon
On Sunday 20th September, Tobin Brothers Funerals were pleased to announce that Gach Nyuon was the 2015 winner of the Tobin Brothers Young Multicultural Player of the Year award. Gach was...
Funeral Insurance Pitfalls
This week I read an article on news.com.au which highlights the recent report from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) regarding Funeral Insurance. The report states that “i...
Tribute to Peter Banfield
Introduction:
James MacLeod's recreational pursuits are playing cricket, golf, horse racing, and the Blackburn Football Club of which he is the immediate Past President.
In this blog post, J...
Celebrating Transparency, Celebrating Lives
When I was appointed Managing Director of Tobin Brothers Funerals in February 2011, I had many things on my ‘to do’ list.
One of my main priorities was to take the transparency of Tobin Brothers F...
A Wish Before I Die : The Peter Gourlay Story
During late May and early June I couldn’t help but be touched by the story 3AW’s Neil Mitchell ran on four-year-old Peter Gourlay.
Peter was suffering from terminal cancer and had stolen the heart...
Commiserate and Celebrate
An increasing number of Australians want joy not sorrow at funerals. That’s a key finding of a survey carried out on behalf of the Australian Funeral Directors’ Association (AFDA) by McCrindle Rese...
Live Below The Line
A few weeks ago I was reading a Facebook status of my friend Ruben who said he was participating in Live Below the Line. Live Below the Line is an experience, and a challenge, for thousands of Aust...