Fitting tribute to Rotarian Tony

Jun 20 2008 by Rebecca Edwards, Chester Chronicle

Fitting tribute to Rotarian Tony

A LATE Rotarian would have been proud of awards given in his memory, his widow says.

Antonin Cervenka, known as Tony, died aged 66 in January 2007 while on holiday in New Zealand with his wife of 45 years, Daniela.

Tony’s former colleagues at Frodsham and Helsby Rotary Club have now donated six tents and a trailer to 4th Frodsham Scout group in his memory.

The equipment is marked with Tony’s name and the name of the club to honour his dedication to exchanges between young people in the UK and in his native Czech Republic.

The club has also posthumously awarded Tony the Paul Harris Fellowship, an award named after the Rotary founder that marks outstanding work for the club.

It was received by his widow Daniela, who lives in Frodsham and, like her late husband, is originally from the Czech Republic.

She said that the Rotary movement was a big part of his life – and it also helped her when he died.

She said: “We were on holiday walking together and suddenly he fell. I thought he had slipped but he had had a massive heart attack and was dead on the spot.

“Within 24 hours I had phone calls from Rotarians in Auckland who were incredibly helpful, offering all possible help and even opening their homes to me so I wouldn’t have to cope with the situation alone. The network really worked and it was incredibly helpful.”

Daniela was 17 when she first met 19-year-old Tony on her first day at university.

She said: “He was a real character, enthusiastic, sometimes single-minded, incredibly generous and very clever. He was very hard working and absolutely adorable.

“He was an excellent sportsman, he used to race on skis, he played football, canoeing and was goalkeeper for an ice hockey team.”

Daniela and Tony moved to the UK from Czechoslovakia in 1968 after the country was invaded by Russian forces. They then lived for 19 years in Holland before returning to Frodsham for their retirement in 1996.

She said: “We had a very strong relationship and must have been sure of our marriage because otherwise we wouldn’t have stayed in foreign countries for so long.

“At first Tony was studying at Keele University but after a year we realised we could not afford to stay there and he began working in Shell’s research laboratories, where he worked until he retired.”

Daniela said it is apt 4th Frodsham Scouts camping equipment now bears Tony’s name.

She said: “Tony would go camping at any time of the year. He would be pleased at this, he was so prepared to do anything for young people to have new experiences. That is why when the Czech border reopened and we went back, he wanted British children to go and see it, and Czech children to see Britain.”

Daniela added she was also proud to receive the Paul Harris Fellowship on Tony’s behalf.

She said: “I felt a real mix of every emotion possible. He worked so hard at everything he did that I was never surprised at his work with the club, but this shows that people very much appreciated it.”