Do you have something to add? Have your say in the Forum
Clarrie Handreck
Clarence Paul Handreck (Clarrie) Clarence Paul Handreck was born on 16 September 1936 in Murtoa in Victoria's Wimmera to parents Alma and Bill Handreck. He married Helen Lees on the 22 December 1962 at the Lutheran Church in Mildura and they had three children. He died on 20 July and his funeral took place at 1pm on Friday 24 July 2009 at the Heritage & Heritage Chapel, Wantirna in Victoria. The Celebrant from Everclair Celebrants was Mr Graeme Cook on Tel. (03) 8822 3733. Although Clarrie's funeral was the final stage in his life, it was also an opportunity for his relatives, his friends and his colleagues to celebrate Clarrie's rich and rewarding life and to provide the story of Clarrie's life and achievements. Clarrie's Story from September 1936 The funeral celebrant Graeme Cook presented Clarrie's Story, which he based on Clarrie's own recently-recorded recollections. Clarence Paul Handreck, or simply Clarrie, as we all know him, was born in Murtoa in Victoria's Wimmera on 16 September 1936 to parents Alma and Bill Handreck and he was a baby brother to Les, Stan, Lorna and Alf. The 3 eldest siblings have all passed on but Alf was at the funeral. When Clarrie was only 3, the family moved to Sunny Cliffs near Red Cliffs and a year later moved to nearby Cardross, where his father managed a dried fruit block. On his 6th Birthday, Clarrie began his lifetime of education at Cardross Primary School and completed Prep and Grade 1 in the remaining Term of that year. 1954 saw the beginning of his Teacher Training at Ballarat. Here he continued his scholastic excellence to attain his Primary Teachers Certificate, winning the Ellwood Prize as Dux of his year and the shock of a 100% score in music, before carrying out his National Service in 1956, where even there he attained rank. 43 Ireland Street Ringwood in 1966 Clarrie's Sporting Achievements Accepting and patient, Clarrie would talk to anyone and he put his faith in some unlikely folk at times, but never with poor judgement. Poor attitudes to the environment angered him, as did self interest and inequality, along with the frustration of bureaucracy, for he saw the whole World as a community. Clarrie's Retirement in 1991 Clarrie's Final Days in July 2009 With so much care and support from his beloved Helen and all of his family, Clarrie continued on at home, managing well for as long as he was able, up until his care requirements saw him enter Wantirna Health several weeks before his death. Clarrie was surrounded by those people dearest to him, amidst an aura of devotion and care, when on Monday night, 20 July 2009, Clarrie finally found the peace he sought; his troubled being relaxed and his laboured breathing finally eased, with Helen and their children lovingly at his side. As beautifully as he had lived, Clarrie, mercifully and calmly, moved on. Tributes and Memories from Family Members and Colleagues Grandpa Clarrie, according to Alexander My grandpa was a wonderful man, He taught me all sorts of things about the ocean and the shells and molluscs that come out of it, his specialty was definitely shells. He would always tell me about the exhibitions that are going on at the museum and every once and a while show me new specimens. He would make a joke and my parents would crack up laughing. I will always treasure and remember the times we had together either at the aquarium, the zoo, the museum or even just at his house. Overall I will and I already miss him. Memories of Dad, according to Karen When I think of Dad, I have to say that he was a really marvellous father to have. He wasn't perfect and of course we had our ups and downs and disagreements as all fathers and daughters do; but he was always full of such energy and enthusiasm, bursting with ideas and projects, planning and doing interesting things and contagious in his excitement about the natural world. It was never dull being with Dad; there were just too many interesting and worthy things to be doing. When I think of Dad, I think of twinkling blue eyes and a great big smile. He was in many ways very serious and earnest, so it was easy to think all the things he did were just a duty and hard work. But then a smile would flash across his face. To me, Dad's smile conveyed everything. His words might be analytical and objective but his smile just beamed out his delight. It could be the satisfaction of weeding a garden bed, the beauty of some tiny creature under the microscope, the fun of a silly pun, the pride in his staff and students, or just the love he felt for us. It was all in his smile. When I think of Dad, I think of throwing balls in the park, cricket at the beach, tennis at the crack of dawn (trying to "keep my eye on the ball") and card games around the caravan table where "a quick game's a good game". Dad always loved the simple pleasure of sport and games. Playing, he was relaxed, funny and even a bit mischievous. I loved that twinkle in his eye as he slid a sneaky shot down the sideline or threw a ball just out of reach over our head. Of course he was highly skilled at sport but it's his pure joy of it that I remember most. When I think of Dad, I think of a very busy man moving quickly. Someone once gave him a set of wind-up feet as a joke which tied perfectly with my own childhood memories - desperately trying to keep up as Dad walked at break-neck speed down school corridors or raced up steep mountains. Dad believed in "work hard and play hard". It's hard to say what Dad considered to be work and what was play because he really approached everything with the same energy, drive and enthusiasm. He was always very busy but he was never an absent father because he just swept us all along in his wake and involved us in everything he was doing. As children we endured many character-building activities such as lugging buckets of water around school gardens, chipping away weeds and, of course, many, many hours exploring rocky reefs. It was sometimes arduous but it did lead to some fantastic experiences. That was the thing with Dad, he might put us through a torturous test of endurance but it was nearly always led to something memorable and worthwhile. When I think of Dad, I think of bush walks in amazing places, stopping to gaze at birds through binoculars, or to identify and admire plants and fungi. I think of us all slogging up steep mountain trails (with Dad ahead of course) and finally having lunch at the top with a glorious vista below us. Dad had such a deep appreciation for nature. He delighted in the smallest things such as the exquisite shape of a particular leaf or the pure clear voice of a butcher bird. When I think of Dad, I think of honesty, integrity and deeply held values. Dad was strongly motivated to "contribute to the community" and put a high value on a hard day's work. He put his time into actions that would produce concrete results and he didn't care if that meant he typed up the minutes or dug over the garden bed. If it was worth doing, he was happy to do it. Dad never thought things were "someone else's" responsibility. When I think of Dad, I think of those quirky things that made him unique: like perfect neat hand-writing from an awkward left-hander and his own special style of footnotes and annotations. I think of his love of silly word plays. And I think of him as the stereo-type father - standing on the driveway with arms crossed waiting for a boy to drive me home! When I think of Dad, I think of holidays at the beach where every hour of every day had a purpose: tennis at 7am, beach, an hour for lunch, back to the beach for the best waves in the afternoon low tide, dinner, evening walk, plan the next day, a quick game of 500. I think of him teaching us to catch waves, his excitement as we snorkelled over stingrays and the dare-devil glee with which he dived off a high rock into the sea. He had an obsession with observing the clouds each night so he could predict a coming storm. And don't think a rainy day was a day of rest - far from it. That, of course, was the perfect day to climb the steepest mountain in the area. Dad managed to squeeze so much action and fun into our holidays they always seemed twice as long as they really were. When I think of Dad, I think of someone for whom teaching was second nature. He was a fabulous teacher to us because he was excited about knowledge. He was also a stickler for accurate and complete understanding - I clearly remember his insistence that I not "borrow a 1" in subtraction, it was important to understand what I was doing. Dad's way of teaching was to apply all the knowledge and different skills we had to whatever we might be doing. So if we were looking at a leaf we could learn about the mathematical term for its shape, the biology of the plant and the meaning of the Latin name. He encouraged our curiosity and never allowed us to be lazy learners. Dad was also of course a great learner himself. He had boundless curiosity and thirst for knowledge. When I think of Dad, I think of someone very humble. Dad never thought he had any special talents himself. He saw his achievements always as the result of a team effort and vigorously promoted, encouraged and applauded the talents of others. Of course he did have many talents and I think one of his greatest gifts was the ability to organize, motivate and drive others to achieve things. Dad was a great facilitator who had the ability to take an idea or goal and turn it into something doable. When I think of Dad, I think of the confidence and belief he had in us (and I know he was the same with others). Dad always had high expectations and could be a very harsh critic, but he never seemed to doubt that we would fulfill those expectations. So his encouragement and even his criticism were motivating, and his pleasure in our achievements was a great reward. Ultimately, when I think of Dad, I think of someone who was unique and unforgettable. Dad lived life to the full and made absolutely every moment count. He put his energy and drive to great purpose. He gave encouragement and support to many. He gave us a childhood filled with fun, learning and memorable experiences. He was a warm and loving father who gave us all the belief that we could be and do anything we wanted to. His expectations, encouragement and love will always be there as a voice in my ear and will live on in the lessons passed to his grandchildren.
There are so many things I could talk about regarding my father so I'll just mention a couple of things by way of a story of a mountain climb that dad and I did in Queensland. So dad and I set out carrying a Cane knife to cut our way through the vegetation on the track. We then met a team of Outward Bound people doing a 5 day overnight remote navigation survival exercise. They had maps and compass and they didn't know for sure where they were either. They were a bit surprised to see us up there on a day walk. The Outward Bound group concluded that we all were not at the top. So they started blazing a track up a spur in the direction of the top according to their map. We followed them for a while but it was getting late so dad and I headed down. Next morning the Mountain was clear of cloud again so we thought we can't miss this opportunity to try again. So we quickly packed and headed up, this time crossing the creek and following the correct track to the top. We arrived at the top around lunch time. The view was excellent. We signalled down to Lorna & Eric's house with a mirror. We had an hour's sleep on a sunny rock on the North side of the main peak. Then we heard some noises in the bush below us and went to investigate. It was the Outward Bound group! They had blazed their way up the ridge line and had not yet reached the top. Again they were surprised to see us. We told them where the top was and brought them up to date with latest football scores. A great adventure with my father which under scored dad's love of the Australian bush and his persistence that if you didn't succeed at first, keep working at it and you eventually will. Clarrie as a Volunteer It would seem that Clarrie Handreck rewrote the term, "volunteer", for he played a huge part in so many organisations, even exceeding 12,000 documented hours in his efforts for Museum Victoria and probably as many in the field. A true friend of the Earth, Clarrie had been a loyal Member of the Australian Conservation Foundation, Indigenous Flora and Fauna Association, Tasmanian Wilderness Society, Birds Australia, ECOS, Marine Conservation Group of Victoria and the Field Naturalist's Club, to name but a few, and he was a generous and regular donor to many. His work went from scouring the Victorian Coast counting species, to Secretarial office, and even serving as a superbly accurate historian. Bob Burn and Mark Norman were called on by the celebrant Graeme Cook to talk about Clarrie's efforts in the field of Marine Invertebrates at the Museum of Victoria. Clarrie as a Teacher As Principal of Upper Ferntree Gully Primary School, Clarrie left a memorable and indelible mark in the lives of many children and parents, but most significantly, he left a lasting effect on his staff there. At the funeral, the Celebrant called on Peter Hall and Ralph Holland to explain the "Clarrie factor". As a descendant of Wendish ancestors who emigrated in 1858 from Lusatia in Brandenburg, Prussia, John Noack, the President of the Wendish Heritage Society Australia was called on by the celebrant to outline Clarrie's wendish involvement, which included serving on the Executive Committee, helping in the Society's working bees, cataloguing the Wendish Library with the help of Helen his wife and offering wise advice in various situations. Photographic and Musical Tributes to Clarrie This Celebration of the Life of Clarence Paul Handreck included, in addition to the above spoken words, Opening Music featuring Mozart's Adagio from his Concerto for Clarinet; a Photo Presentation accompanied by Vaughan Williams' The Lark Ascending and the closing music, featuring Paul Kelly's Leaps and Bounds. Clarrie is Gone but not Forgotten The celebrant Graeme Cook concluded the funeral ceremony with some words about the future. He stated that it is for Helen that we shall grieve the most, for she must now carry on without her husband, lover and best friend, alongside whom she raised an impressive family, experienced so many of life;s ups and downs, has known the magic of Grandchildren and has travelled the World beside Clarrie, for whom she cared so deeply and so well. The love they generated through their more than 4 decades together is now being mirrored back to her when she needs it most. She can look back proud and content though, that in the toughest game of all, Life, they'd made a mighty fine team! Clarrie's family has lost a remarkable man, and we have lost a great friend, a wonderful Australian and a true teacher; and our hearts are opened now, in a sharing of the burden of that grief. We should now allow ourselves to focus on the many lovely memories to help diminish the loss we are feeling at this time and to know that within those very memories, Clarrie need never be further than just one thought away. The celebrant encouraged the relatives and friends at the funeral not to carry a yoke of grief as they leave the Chapel but to carry a smile; be uplifted by all that Clarrie's presence in their lives has meant to each person; and let their spirits soar with the best of thoughts and memories always. Relatives were exhorted by the celebrant to go on to cherish Clarrie's little habits and traits that they find in each other, throughout the family line and in those yet to be. Smile at them, laugh at them, remember and simply be grateful to have been one of the fortunate people, whose lives have been touched forever, by the knowing of Clarrie Handreck. Poem This Heritage The Committal The Celebrant then exhorted the relatives and friend to kindly take a moment to reflect on these words and perhaps there, find some solace and understanding in their simple wisdom. Moving On You can shed tears that he is gone, You can close your eyes and pray that he will come back, Your heart can be empty because you can't see him, You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday, You can remember him, and only that he has gone, You can be empty, close your mind and turn your back, The celebrant affirmed that, as the Ceremony ended, it has given closure only to pain and suffering and to him being here alongside us. It has not closed on the life of Clarrie Handreck, for he will live on in our hearts and memories always, as a Husband, Father, Grandfather, Brother, Uncle, Colleague and a Friend. Whenever we talk about him or think about him, he will immediately be among us. His love, support and wisdom will never leave us. You people here, have been so very lucky to have known him, whereas I, as the Celebrant, have only had the honour and pleasure, to have known him all too briefly. A unique and very special thread in Life's grand tapestry has now reached its end. For Clarrie is truly now at Peace. May we all now stand, in reverent salute, to lovingly trail Clarrie's casket toward its final journey. Poetic Thoughts from the Program: Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night by Dylan Thomas Do not go gentle into that good night, Though wise men at their end know dark is right, Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight, Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight And you, my father, there on the sad height, Celebratory Refreshments Following this Funeral Ceremony and Celebration of the Life of Clarence Paul Handreck, family and friends of Clarrie assembled in the rooms adjacent to the Chapel for refreshments and to continue the telling of Clarrie's story with each other. Message from the Handreck Family Clarrie's family wish to convey their sincere thanks and heartfelt appreciation to all for the loving help and support, so freely given at his time of loss and sadness. May you walk from this place today, carrying the warmth of memories to keep with you always.
With Wendish Society friends, Christmas 2003 >> View image With the Wends at Dimboola, March 2003 >> View image At the Wends' Christmas breakup, December 2004 >> View image With the Wends at Bundoora, March 2005 >> View image More of Clarrie at Bundoora, March 2005 >> View image At the Wends' Christmas breakup, December 2005 >> View image Clarrie with Ed Koch, Wends' Annual Dinner 2007 >> View image Clarrie at the Wends' Annual Dinner 2008 >> View image |
