I would like to start by thanking you all for coming here today to pay tribute to a man that was loved by so many; my poppy bill. For me, funerals don’t just recognise that a life has ended, but they also serve to recognise that a life has been lived… and the fact that so many of you, from so many facets of pop’s life are here today is testimony to the great life that my grandfather has lived.
People often say that grandfathers are the pillars of wisdom and strength in any family… but it just so happens that in getting poppy Bill, we also got the bonus of a sense of humour thrown in as well! As you have found out by some of Liss’s stories, despite his sometimes serious and watchful exterior, pop was a prankster with the ability to bring us all into stitches of laughter and when he had an audience he was truly in his element. However, saying that pop was also a humble guy – so humble in fact that he could never quite believe that anyone would call the house to talk to him – So much so, that amongst our family it became a bit of a running joke to see who could talk to pop the longest before he said ‘I will just go and put your nan on’ – quite often we didn’t make it much further than hello!
Aside from how not to treat callers, pop managed to teach us all a lot; like how to catch a crab, launch a boat, tend the garden and use our cutlery correctly… or at least he tried! However some lessons that he unintentionally imparted on us in his final moments, are what I believe to be some of the most admirable virtues that one can aspire to.
Through your constant fight and will to live, you have taught us to never give up in the face of adversity, your courage to get yourself to the top of the stairs or to try and digest that chicken soup for the 100th unsuccessful time has demonstrated what it means to be determined, your ability to joke and laugh right up until the end has epitomised the notion that life should never be taken too seriously and in your passing, the way we have all come together has cemented the importance of family.
Before I say goodbye I would like to share with you a bit about the fantastic relationship my family had with pop. In growing up my brothers and I, living all across rural Queensland, did not have the opportunity to spend as much time with pop as Liss, Carl & Jamie, but while we may have lacked in quantity, we definitely did not miss out on quality and over the years, in our own little ways, we each forged everlasting bonds & shared some fantastic memories with poppy Bill.
For me it is our shared sense of national pride and appreciation for the ANZAC’s. I remember as a three year old joining my father, and pop down at his beloved Davistown RSL at 4am on the 25th of April, the day before my birthday, for what was to be the first in a long standing tradition of dawn services.
For Ben, the two are connected by their love of birds … or in Bens case helping the birds escape, another long standing tradition that eventually had Ben banned from the bird cage to save us all running around with nets, hoses and whatever else we could find to recapture the ‘flyaways’.
And for Justin, it is their shared love of the water and of course the cricket! Not a visit to nan and pops was complete without a trip on the boat for these pair. And I don’t think Justin has ever played a match of cricket that hasn’t been followed by pop getting a play by play retelling of the entire game; and for those of you that know Justin, this can be quite a test of endurance!
For mum, Pop was the caring and dependable father she always wanted and I know he meant the world to her and for dad, pop was his father and I have to say that when it comes to personality, particularly in the humour steaks, he is a chip off the old block.
I hope you can rest in peace knowing that we all loved and adored you, and that while we are devastated you were taken from us well before your time, we are glad that you will suffer no longer.
In life, I was always “your angel”, now, in death, it’s your turn to be my angel!
