COLOURFUL balloons and Monarch butterflies were released into the air at Myrtleford on Saturday as friends and family celebrated the life of Mudgegonga couple John and Sue Wilson.
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More than 1000 people spilled from St Mary’s Catholic Church into the courtyard and car park outside for a service remembering the pair who died defending their home during the Black Saturday bushfires in early February.
Daughters Grace and Samantha carried photos of their parents ahead of caskets topped with red roses for Sue and a mix of white roses and yellow lilies for John.
In a eulogy delivered on behalf of the family, Mr Wilson’s sister, Julie Garoni, labelled her brother a “larrikin”.
She described him coming home from university with “scruffy and dreadlocked hair” and explained how his hair continued to be a talking point while Grace, a hairdresser, used him as a guinea pig for her training.
“It is the quality of man he was that made us, his family, most proud and it is because of that we feel his loss to our core,” she said.
“He made you feel special, made you feel loved ... he was accepting of all, fools, gentry, fellow larrikins and anyone else. This is a gift that is in the nature of truly good people.”
Mrs Wilson’s girlfriend Neralle Keesing told the congregation how she met Mrs Wilson in third form at school in Wangaratta.
She described “Susie” as a
quiet girl who stuck by her friends’ sides, a talented runner and home economics student and a creative woman who excelled in cooking and gardening.
“Whenever I was worried about trying something new Susie would say ‘don’t worry about it Neralle, just do it’,” Ms Keesing said.
“She showed us all how we should be passionate about life.”
Mr Wilson’s close friend Trevor Murray then told of the carpenter’s eye for detail and his determination on the sports field.
In golf, “Teat” Wilson’s handicap ranged from 8 to 12 and in cricket he had reflexes “as quick as a lizard’s tongue”.
John was also such a “fanatical” Geelong Cats supporter that he had a tattoo of the club’s emblem inscribed above his heart days after the team won the 2007 premiership against Port Adelaide.
At the end of the service the congregation lined up behind the caskets and paid their respects before collecting a balloon or Monarch butterfly to release in their memory.
The butterflies, which are renowned for resting on people’s shoulders, were a symbol of the couple’s spirits being set free.
* The Border Mail had permission from the family to attend.
