A coffin, a mayor, some bagpipes and poetry mark Thomas the bisexual blind goose’s send off
We have shed actual, physical tears for Thomas the blind bisexual goose.
His moving story of sharing his life with Henry the swan made the headlines far beyond the Wellington Bird Rehabilitation Trust in New Zealand.
Thomas, who died at the age of 38, had lived a life full of love with his partner of nearly thirty years, Henry – and has touched the lives of the community he inhabited.
That’s why sixty people turned out for the funeral, including the Mayor of Waimanu Lagoon, and a priest who carried out the ceremony.
A kilted bagpiper was also present at the ceremony in Waimanu Lagoon, in Waikanae on the Kāpiti Coast.
“This was just very special, and it brought the community together, and it was a lovely story of good things,” said funeral attendee Sue Lusk.
Although Henry met Henrietta and had cygnets with her, Thomas remained by Henry’s side.
The goose stepped in to help the pair, and taught the baby ducks how to fly in their formative years.
Even in his ailing years he helped the swans grow, and looked after them when his partner died and Henrietta fled the roost.
“It’s so unusual to have two different species combining so intimately to raise a species,” said the site’s tour guide Michael Peryer to BBC News.
He was also said to cry for his partner after he passed.
And epitaph by performer Pinky Agnew on the goose’s grave reads:
“Here lies Thomas, the great-hearted goose,
Nestled near Henry, in their final roost,
Here where they raised young, and found sanctuary,
Somewhere above us, these great souls fly free.”
