Rory

The service for Rory John Joseph Forrest was held at 1.30pm on Thursday, November 4, at a chapel in the Rookwood Cemetry in Sydney. Rory was the son of Jack and Betty Forrest. Jack was the young brother of Eileen, Norma and Fran
The chapel was full of family, friends and work colleagues. Representing the Roffs were Glenn, myself, Stuart, Ashley, Daniel, Alaine and Milly. Seages present were Uncle Ken and Aunty Betty, Brendan and Martin. All the Forrests were there including partners and children. The Thomas' were represented by Louise and Mitchel.
The ceremony took the form of a brief introduction by the celebrant who was an old friend of Bradley Forrest, followed by a number of speakers.
The official eulogy was delivered by Shauna and it presented Rory as a very valued member of the family who had a great sense of humour which he sharpened regularly on his brothers and sisters. Shane then assisted Aunty Betty Forrest to the microphone and she read a moving statement that she'd helped prepare. As you all know, Aunty Betty has been struggling against a variety of cancers but has outlived many medical expectations regarding the timing of her death. She was as elegant as she's always been and recognised most of the extended family.
Vanessa then spoke. Rory and Vanessa were twins and always had a close bond. Vanessa told a great story of how she and Rory had agreed to meet in Brisbane to celebrate a particular birthday. Rory arrived first and was promptly arrested at a demonstration against the then Queensland premier. Vanessa arrived later and was arrested as well. They caught up in a police watchhouse and celebrated their birthdays in gaol. Rory had a highly developed social consience and was never afraid to stand up against injustice.
Part of Rory's jouney was a relationship with Pillawok (spelling probably wrong - apologies) which produced a son, Niwili, who was Rory's pride and joy. Niwili made a very emotional speech in which he recounted his best adventues with his father who he clearly loved. A couple of Niwili's school mates from Adelaide made the trip to Sydney as a gesture of support.
Rory's long-time partner, Victor, also spoke. Victor is from Papua New Guinea and told the story of how he and Rory had gone there to visit Victor's clan. Rory was a vegetarian and that was a source of great amusement to people who'd never experienced it before. Rory underwent an initiation ceremony and became part of Victor's family.
Paris and Cairo (both are Rory's nephews) spoke and gave different perspectives on Rory's significant influence in their lives.
Rory's nieces, Sienna and Layla (daughters of brother Brad and his wife, Debbie), contributed a floral tribute and were accompanied by other neices Amber and Nephra. Django played a musical tribute on his celo - "Across the Stars".
Rory spent most of his working life as a set designer and builder in the entertainment industry and his clients included many high-profile names including Jim Hensen (Muppets) as well as working on the sets for the Star Wars franchise. Many of his professional colleagues attended.
The wake was held in the Writer's Club in Roselle and the Roff mob had dinner in Redfern later in the evening. When Daniel said it was going to be in a Vietnamese restaurant, none of us realised it was actually located in Vietnam. The four-day walk was worth it, though, and it was a very pleasant evening.
As John pointed out, Rory is the first of our generation to die. He was 51 and that's clearly too early. As demonstrated by both the ceremony and the wake, he had a rich and interesting life. Perhaps, in the end, this is more important than longevity.
Many of the Forrests will be in Lismore for Christmas and it will give the rest of the family a chance to share this loss. Vale, Rory.