A Sailor's Farewell
Raud O'Brien of Palm Beach led an extraordinary life.
By the age of 7 he had completed 4 Sydney Hobart races with his family on their classic yacht “Wraith of Odin”.
Later in life he sailed single handed around Antarctica via the 5 great southern capes in “Little Wing”, a simple and sturdy yacht that he designed and built himself.
A remarkable achievement in spite of residual physical impairment from an earlier accident whilst rock climbing, another of his great passions.
He was also a talented artist, with a passion for painting, drawing and wildlife – but his first love was the call of the sea and so when it came to his funeral, we did our best to bring the sea back to him.
The navigational charts he'd used around the southern oceans were photocopied, along with those for Lord Howe Island, the east coast of Tasmania, and Bass Strait amongst others. His cardboard coffin was wrapped in these charts, many of which bore his handwritten navigational plots and notes.
The tiller and sextant from Little Wing were placed on his coffin, which lay on a bed of red gum leaves, surrounded by some of his beautiful artwork.
During the ceremony, of course we had the Seafarer's Hymn, but the most powerful element was a time of quiet, individual reflection in which a recording that he had made of the sounds of the sea from inside his tiny boat as he rounded Cape Horn, was played in the chapel. It was so powerful – like a re-awakening of his soul – such a special thing to be a part of .
Every person is unique. Every family is different.
With us, every Funeral is Individual.
Contact Northern Beaches Funerals at any time :
-- 0455 285 041
-- info@northernbeachesfunerals.com.au