The world bid adieu to an unparalleled legend in the form of Shane Warne, who passed away in Thailand on March 4 due to a suspected heart attack. Warne’s passing led to an outpouring of grief from the entire sporting community, which lost an icon in an untimely fashion.
The Australian’s funeral took place in a private ceremony which had around 80 guests, including legends of the game, such as the likes of Aussie captains Allan Border, Mark Taylor, and Michael Clarke, and former England skipper Michael Vaughan. Warne’s three children, Jackson, Brooke, and Summer and parents, Keith and Bridgette, were also among the grief-struck crowd who had gathered to pay their respects to the departed legend.
Warne’s fellow bowling legends Glenn McGrath and Merv Hughes were also in attendance and were joined by Mark Waugh and wicket-keeper Ian Healy, who were both long-time teammates of Warne. One of his closest friends Eddie McGuire delivered the eulogy at the funeral and also took on the role of the MC at the ceremony, which was held in Moorabbin, considering that Warne was closely associated with the St. Kilda Football Club throughout his life.
Many guests were clad in St. Kilda scarves, and so was Warne’s coffin, which was given a lap of honour as the hit 1980s song The Time of My Life played, as the audience delivered a resounding round of applause. The lap of honour was followed by a champagne toast, which was then followed by three cheers to the departed Warne, as McGuire urged the mourning crowd to be as loud as they possibly could.
St. Kilda coach Glenn Lalor spoke of his time with Warne with great fondness, remembering his playing experiences with the legendary Australian in the early 2000s.
“Every time Shane was available he would love coming back and playing with us, which was great. The boys appreciated playing with a legend. He was just an everyday bloke that just wanted to be around and enjoy the day. He was never hard to deal with, he was always fun.”
Lalor said as he spoke of Warne.
A public ceremony in Warne’s honour will be held on March 30 at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground where the public will be able to pay their respects to an unmatched Aussie Legend.
