A sheep farmer who was unable to attend the funeral of his aunt who died of cancer due to the lockdown in Australia was able to honor her in a beautiful way. The man made his animals gather in the shape of a heart and photographed that beautiful picture from above with a drone. The touching video clip was then shown on a large screen at the woman’s funeral. Then the photos found their way to the Internet, where they have already paid millions of hearts.
James Jackson
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Sheep farmer Ben Jackson of Jira in the Australian state of New South Wales was unable to attend the funeral of his beloved Aunt Deb in Brisbane due to the lockdown. The woman was diagnosed with cancer at the beginning of the epidemic and died just under two years later. “Unfortunately, it didn’t work,” Jackson told Guardian Australia. “During these moments of sadness you feel really helpless, you don’t know what to do, what to say… especially in these trying times: no one can prepare you for the suffering that comes with border closures (within Australia the interstate borders are closed too, editor) You can’t go there just to say goodbye or be there when you go… That’s too hard.”
While feeding the sheep, Jackson suddenly got the idea to make a heart with his animals. Earlier, during a period of drought when he had to feed his sheep, he had already discovered that no matter what form he put into the forage, they would follow him. “The first time I tried it, it was kind of like this ‘stool’ emoji, and while my Aunt Deb really had a sense of humor, that wasn’t what I had in mind,” says the man.
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After several attempts, the pictures with the heart on it were right there. The family in Brisbane edited Simon and Garfunkel’s music and arranged to play the animated video at the funeral. “When I saw the finished product, I couldn’t hold back my tears myself,” Jackson admits. “It would have been great to have contributed to the funeral with this. This was definitely something you will love and cherish. (…) These are very difficult times. Knowing my aunt, I know she would have been so proud if this ‘art of the sheep’ had brought a smile even on her. One person’s face.
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