A funeral service for Murray Rowley will be held on the Gold Coast tomorrow morning.  

The senior partner at loss adjuster MBS Pumfreys died last month aged 86 after a battle with cancer. 

Paying tribute, LMI Group founder Allan Manning says Mr Rowley was the youngest chartered accountant to qualify in Australia when aged 19, and his specialty was business interruption, handling major mining losses for companies such as BHP, Anglo American and Rio Tinto. Mr Rowley then joined LMI Group about 15 years ago. 

“He put a lot into his profession,” said Dr Manning, who first met Mr Rowley in 1974 to discuss a Brisbane flood loss, and who joined MBS Pumfreys in 1982. 

“Murray encouraged me and fully supported my move to PNG for the company and was a mentor, especially on the massive Bougainville copper claim in 1998.  

“When I was contemplating starting LMI, he was very supportive and it was he who came up with the name, Loss Management International. 

“He has been a great asset to the group and me personally. He will be sadly missed by so many people. 

“To the very end he was courageous and in positive spirits. With his passing – and that of his long-standing partner at MBS, Paul O’Sullivan, two months ago – it does feel like the end of an era. Rest in peace, my friend.” 

Mr Rowley – a licensed pilot who flew his own plane to mining claim sites across Australia – is survived by his wife Pam, sister Lyndal, four children including loss adjuster Mark Rowley, and seven grandchildren. 

Friends and family are invited to the funeral at 11am tomorrow at Southport Uniting Church.