scone.com.auOlivia Laid to Rest
THE church at St Jude’s, Randwick was overflowing with people paying their respects to Olivia Inglis today.
Mourners view the beautiful images of Olivia as they enter the funeral service at St Jude’s in Randwick
There were approximately 700 people who attended the funeral with standing room only inside the church, more than 150 in a hall to the side of the church and a couple of hundred people who gathered on the lawns.
A beautiful display of images lined the entrance to the church, many school friends from St Catherine’s and Frensham attended and two female mounted police on their horses added a nice touch.
While Olivia’s passing was tragic and too soon, the tone of the funeral was tempered with a gratitude for a young life well lived.
Olivia’s parents Charlotte and Arthur both spoke of their daughter and the wonderful life she had enjoyed, traveling the world, the hours she was able to spend on her passion of horses and eventing with her family and the beautiful, kind approach to took with people throughout her life.
Charlotte recalled Olivia being around horses all her life and as young child always being in the wings before coming to centre stage herself.
Her mother said they struggled to get Olivia to focus on her school work and she was not interested in a gap year, because she wanted to leave school and work with horses.
The Inglis family shared a love of horses
However, there were some HSC subjects where she was able to infuse her love of horses, including Olivia’s major artwork which was a painting of her and her horse, which was not quite complete and will be on display at the wake.
Also as her major work in another subject design and technology she was designing jumps for the Rio Olympics.
Olivia’s sister Antoinette spoke beautifully of her sister who was her role model and was always able to see the positives.
Antoinette recalled a story when their vehicle broke down on the way to Victoria for an event and Olivia started singing “Breakdown” by Jack Johnson.
Her father Arthur spoke of Olivia’s strength and compassion even as a young child at the age of four who comforted other family when Charlotte was unwell and read a passage from Olivia’s favourite childhood story “Dragon in a Wagon”.
Arthur also mentioned the scholarship which had been established by the Scone Horse Trials in Olivia’s honour as being a wonderful legacy for his daughter to continue helping young Australian equestrians.
The wake was later held at the Inglis sale yards.
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