STRETCH was a bit of an enigma.
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He was the one FW Barnes and Son had the least details about, but Ian Getsom knew as soon as he saw the name in a public notice that Stretch was his mate Johnny.
Now, Mr Getsom is going to help return Johnny home and give him some closure.
John Stretch died in a car accident between Scarsdale and Linton in 1976 but his ashes lay with about 80 uncollected, forgotten souls at FW Barnes and Son.
“I couldn’t let Stretch stay in Ballarat for the rest of forever. He deserved to be with his family,” Mr Getsom said.
“...He had a funeral and wake at the Church of England in Skipton so this will be another farewell. I can’t explain it – I’m just making sure he gets to where he needs to be.”
Mr Getsom has worked closely with FW Barnes and Son manager Simon Dwyer to bring John Stretch home to what was the family property, Naringal Station, where his parents are buried. It was the first place Mr Getsom rang when he saw the notice in The Courier.
As custodians of the ashes, FW Barnes and Son could not release John Stretch to Mr Getsom but they can take him to the station with the blessing of family.
Mr Getsom had tracked down distant Stretch cousins in Albany, Perth in a path that led him back to a cousin in Ballarat.
In an interesting twist, it was on the phone to West Australian cousin Rosemary Cunningham, that Mr Getsom helped prompt closure for a second soul.
“Rosemary said to me, “Ian, you’ve just reminded me something – my husband’s in the cupboard”,” Mr Getsom said. “She had been planning to take him out to the family farm.”
FW Barnes and Sons is planning a memorial garden for unclaimed souls, in a discreet corner where people may pay their respects. It is a way to help create closure for their life stories.
“John was a fast man, he loved fast cars and was a member of the Ballarat Light Car Club...He was also a member of the Willowdale Fire Brigade, a champion tennis player and he was in the Lions’ Club at Cape Clear,” Mr Getsom said.
“He’s an all-round top bloke, a gentleman.”
John Stretch’s friends will inter his ashes at Naringal Station on August 2 at 11am.
Mt Getsom said the service, while private, was open to friends in the community. For details, phone Mr Getsom on 0417 374 187.
Creating an appropriate closure to life stories
THERE are about 80 forgotten souls lying on the shelves at funeral home FW Barnes and Son.
Reasons for their stay vary: they might be bereft of family; they might be unliked; some are waiting for partners; or, some are simply forgotten with friends or family assuming others had collected them.
FW Barnes and Son manager Simon Dwyer said they did not know why many were in their care – uncollected cremated remains was common in most funeral homes and cemeteries – but there was something they could do. They could offer closure.
So, FW Barnes and Son is creating a garden to sprinkle their ashes and finally lay them to rest.
“We don’t know their stories, but we know their names,” Mr Dwyer said. “Every life has a story and every story has an end. This is theirs.”
The earliest in their collection dates back to 1956, safely transported from FW Barnes’ former Sturt Street base to the home on the corner of Pleasant and Darling Streets in 1991.
Mr Dwyer has had advice from the Australian Funeral Directors Association and the Department of Health that after a period of time, usually twelve months, and with a documented and concerted attempt to contact the next of kin, a dignified scattering of the cremated remains is the appropriate response.
Stage one of a memorial garden, featuring name plaques outside the chapel, will include 16 people. Most are from the 1970s and 80s.
Since issuing a public notice, Mr Dwyer had been blown away by the chance to reunite one man with his friends and another with his brother.
There will be a small ceremony in the FW Barnes garden on September 1, at 11am.