My uncle, Anthony Cannellis, passed away not too long agoMy whole family made a 4 hour trip to Shoalhaven to attend his funeral.

We met our outer circle of relatives (whom you see about once a year), and the next concentric ring of relatives outside of that (the ones you only see at marriages and funerals), and we got together for the service at a small chapel. Anthony will be cremated and then buried. I think his sons took care of all his arrangements.

The funeral director gave a short talk about Anthony’s life. He was very good and professional. What a high pressure job, right? All the anxiety of public performance, and also the knowledge that if you screw up, people won’t be laughing about it the next day.

There wasn’t a wake after the service, but we did have tea and coffee at a neighbouring hotel. One of Anthony’s sons picked up the bill for us. In all, it was a very well run event, and a worthy tribute to my uncle’s memory.

I feel bad about this. All my relatives are dying, and I hardly know them!