Bryce Courtenay's last goodbye
Hundreds gather at a Sydney church for the funeral of one of Australia's most well-known authors, Bryce Courtenay.
- Autoplay OnOff
- Video feedback
- Video settings
FOR a man who courted public attention in his professional life, the final chapter of author Bryce Courtenay's 79 years was a strictly private affair.
More than 300 mourners, including the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, and her partner, Tim Mathieson, paid their last respects to Courtenay on Wednesday at an intimate funeral at St Mark's Church, Darling Point.
Courtenay, who had planned much of the service himself, requested that he be buried in a cardboard coffin in Canberra.
Farewell ... former students form a sunflower guard of honour for his casket. Photo: Janie Barrett
He had decreed it be a ''private'' ceremony, with only invited guests at the historic church.
Ranking as one of Australia's highest-selling authors - more than 20 million books in 18 languages - he was farewelled by mostly friends and family.
Courtenay's second wife, Christine, was surrounded by well-wishers, including the television personality Jennifer Byrne, the former Greens leader Bob Brown, the entertainer Kamahl, his former advertising colleague Alex Hamill and the publishing figures Robert Sessions and Julie Gibbs.
One last cover ... Bryce Courtenay on the order-of-service booklet.
Scenes from two films based on his books, Jessica and The Power of One, were screened before the service, with the congregation singing a traditional African song Who Killed Cock Robin.
During the 90-minute service, billed as ''A Celebration'' in the order-of-service booklet, printed on what appeared to be a glossy book sleeve from one of his novels, mourners heard emotional tributes from his widow, sons Adam and Brett, former Sydney Olympics chief Simon Balderstone and Mr Hamill.
Mr Sessions, Penguin Australia's publisher, read the eulogy, in which he described Courtenay as man with a ''generosity of spirit'' and a keen eye not just for writing books, but selling them, too.
Courtenay announced in September he was battling stomach cancer. He died on November 22 but not before telling Mr Sessions his demise presented a marketing opportunity for his final book, Jack of Diamonds, published just weeks ago.
''When he told me why [about his cancer], I was speechless - but he wasn't. 'This is a great marketing opportunity … with my help Penguin can promote this as Bryce Courtenay's final book - we should sell twice as many as usual!'''
Mr Sessions said that Courtenay's most challenging book was the account of his youngest son Damon's death after contracting medically acquired HIV, inspiring the 1993 best seller April Fool's Day.
''Bryce said it was the hardest thing he had ever done, and the book deeply affected everyone who read it,'' Mr Sessions said.
Courtenay's first wife, the late Benita Solomon, was also acknowledged before the congregation heard about Courtenay's philanthropy and his love of teaching other writers, with a video screened of Courtenay at his ''Last Class'' writing workshop at the National Library of Australia in September.
Courtenay's passion for the plant world was expressed in a guard of honour by his former students who held aloft sunflowers as his casket left the church, draped in a homemade quilt and adorned with his beloved orchids.
No comments:
Post a Comment