Digger’s last wish honoured
Anthony Dowsley
03mar05
A FITTING Digger’s tribute honoured the dying wishes of George “Dick” Vipond whose family were forced to move his funeral when a minister banned a service involving an Australian flag.
About 300 mourners, including returned servicemen, packed St Thomas’s Anglican Church in Essendon to farewell the World War II veteran who died of lung cancer last week, aged 81. The service had to be moved after the Rev Wes Campbell of nearby St John’s Uniting Church refused to hold the funeral if it included an RSL service and a coffin draped in the Australian flag inside the church. The ban sparked national outrage and devastated Mr Vipond’s family.
Mr Vipond, who saw active service with the Royal Australian Air Force in Papua New Guinea from 1942 to 1946 and was a tireless worker for war veterans, had attended the church for 40 years.
His son, Mark, said the Uniting Church had a lot to learn.
“I think they should show a bit more respect to the servicemen and the servicewomen who support this country, because without them we’ve got nothing,” he said outside the church.
However, he said his father would have approved of the service delivered yesterday, which included the sounding of the Last Post.
“I think every digger deserves our respect and the funeral they deserve,” he said.
And as mourners farewelled Mr Vipond, the Uniting Church issued a statement apologising to the family for the heartache it had caused.
Uniting Church of Victoria and Tasmania moderator the Rev Susan Gormann said the church felt “deep regret” and apologised to Mr Vipond’s family and friends.
“I deeply regret and am sorry for additional pain and suffering to the family of Mr Vipond at the time of his passing”, she said.
“It was not the intention of the Rev Dr Wes Campbell to offend the family, and we both deeply regret that this passage of events has taken place.”
She said the Uniting Church had not introduced a policy to ban the Australian flag from funeral services and would continue RSL services at the conclusion of the Christian liturgy.
Mr Vipond was survived by his wife Gwen, children Mark and Michelle, and his six grandchildren.
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