Base Jumper Farewelled

Base Jumper Farewelled

Hundreds of people packed the Te Awamutu Bible Chapel on Wednesday to farewell “Kiwi legend” Alan McCandlish who died while base jumping in Switzerland a week and a half ago.

Music from Alan’s favourite bands greeted mourners as they arrived from all over New Zealand and as far away as Western Australia and America. The casket was draped with two flags: a New Zealand flag which Alan and his friends Benny MacPherson and Teroy Attwood had taken on their travels, and a Ferrari flag which was a gift from Alan’s brother Scott who returned from Italy as soon as he heard news of the tragedy.

A eulogy read out by family friend and celebrant Mick Henderson spoke of Richard and Sue McCandlish’s memories of their eldest son’s adventurous ways from a young age. The gathering heard how, at only 15 months old, Alan demonstrated his climbing and traversing prowess by scaling the bars of his cot and letting himself down to the floor to the surprise of his parents. Another story recalled a time when Alan suggested that his mother not join them on a planned family walk up a steep hill because “you won’t let us look over the side like Dad does”.

Several of Alan’s friends acknowledged the role Richard and Sue McCandlish had played in supporting their son and giving him the freedom to pursue his unorthodox dreams. They described their inspirational friend as a humble and quiet achiever who had a great sense of humour and “just loved the outdoors”.

Those gathered at the service were given an insider’s look at the sport of base jumping through a video that Alan had made for his parents. The service ended on a lighter note with a second video which was found on Alan’s computer this week when his friends were looking for base jumping photos. It showed Alan feeding a bottle of milk to a tiny wild piglet that he and his close friend James Frost found while out hunting on Alan’s 31st birthday.

Benny MacPherson spoke after the service about the amazing support he and fellow base jumper Teroy Attwood had received from the Swiss police and undertaker Rubin Thomas who organised the recovery of Alan’s body and then helped with arrangements to get him home.

“And we were really grateful that another base jumping friend, Chris “Douggs” MacDougall, contacted Rega Air Rescue Helicopters as soon as the accident happened,” said Benny. He also paid tribute to the staff members at Southern Cross Travel Insurance, who had “played a huge role” in getting Alan’s body home to his family so quickly.

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