Only a kilometre or so from my brother Colin’s house is the small bush cemetery at Spring Hill. This area was once a thriving gold mining area and many of the old graves are now unmarked, or unrecognisable. A number of newer graves stand out against the backdrop of gum trees and the green grass of the hillside.

Buried, in one of the more recent graves, is our friend Peter Bunyan who died much too early in 1996. We like to stop by this cemetery from time to time to visit his grave.

Peter & his wife Ruth were friends at our church and they had a holiday house nearby this quiet, peaceful place. Their daughter Libby was something of a role model for our son, David. Libby also studied Law and she too was an exchange student in Japan.

I remember last visiting Peter, just before he died, when he was very ill in hospital. As a very caring man, Peter led me into a long discussion about the ways in which we could provide our daughters with the best from their education and the ways in which we should support them in getting a solid start in whatever career they chose. (Although this was only a relatively short time ago, it was still somewhat easier for boys to succeed in many professional roles than it was then for girls). I remember that discussion well, and I hope that I was as effective as Peter would have liked in supporting Cathy in her education and career.

Coincidentally, my brother Colin was the trustee of the cemetery at the time of Peter’s death and was responsible for all the administration in relation to his burial.

Peter was a good man!