Family and friends farewelled Trevor Searancke yesterday at a funeral held five months after he mysteriously disappeared.
Ten days ago searchers found Mr Searancke, who had been missing since February, in a stand of tall blackberry near Carterton despite a series of searches launched soon after his disappearance involving police, divers,
kayakers, volunteers and family.
It was standing-room only at the Gladstone Community Centre yesterday with over 200 people attending the funeral and paying final respects to a man described by many present as a determined visionary with a heart of gold.
"He was on a mission, and wouldn't finish till it was done. If he said he would do something he would do it," Jill Renata, of Safe Families Wairarapa, said.
For the family it was the end of a long journey and they were happy to finally have him come home to them.
"For the family it's a great relief that they finally have closure," former Carterton district councillor Michael Blundell said.
To those present it was a time to reflect on the moments of his life that influenced and touched those around him, with Mr Blundell recounting one such moment.
"He came to his first council meeting in a T-shirt, then bought his first suit on his first wage he was very proud of it," he said.
The T-shirt is a great description of a no-frills, down-to-earth man with boundless energy and unrivalled enthusiasm for every task he set his mind to.
"He would bounce through the doors full of life and have a chat, then bounce back through the doors," Ms Renata said.
This down-to-earth nature was key in his success in reaching at-risk children in his position at Solway Primary School.
"He had a gentle but firm way of getting at-risk young people to turn around.
"People found him accessible, the common man, he was a Kiwi of good social character," former Wairarapa MP Georgina Beyer said.
And it was this selfless determination to help others who struggled in life that so endeared him to many in the community.
"He had a huge interest in those who didn't quite do so well," she said.
From the massive turnout to farewell the man, who by all accounts could only be described as an unsung hero, he will not be forgotten and his legacy for many will live on for years to come.
Donations were being accepted at the funeral for Wairarapa Search and Rescue and the family expressed their utmost gratitude to those search teams whose determination returned Mr Searancke home.
