Search

Family learns they visited wrong gravestone for nearly 20 years

A family from the UK have been left devastated after discovering they have been visiting the wrong grave for almost 20 years. The Bell family, who buried their familial patriarch Thomas back in 2005, regularly visited his gravestone at Holy Trinity cemetery in Wingate, County Durham, for 17 years. According to the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tees-63858303?at_bbc_team=editorial&at_format=link&at_medium=social&at_link_type=web_link&at_link_id=C514075C-74A5-11ED-997B-754D2152A482&at_link_origin=BBC_News&at_ptr_name=facebook_page&at_campaign_type=owned&at_campaign=Social_Flow&fbclid=IwAR0hoRUkg38_Q-s8CoEe70ObHtrYX4-QbVvA7KH2hCTmcEd34a28BuYzfeI" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BBC</a>, it wasn't until Thomas' wife Hilda - who was due to be buried beside him - also died this year that the mix-up was discovered. The family discovered that a mix-up at the cemetery has seen Thomas's headstone been "placed on the wrong grave", due to "insufficient process" and "poor record keeping". An inquiry into the incident found "a perfect storm" of problems led to the crushing mistake, believed to be due to the human error of a stonemason. Bob Cooper, the Archdeacon of Sunderland, said that the error was a "great sadness" caused by a number of wrong protocols being followed. "The term 'a perfect storm' is used all too often in modern parlance, however on this occasion it seems particularly apt," Cooper said. "It cannot be guaranteed that historic cases like this will not reoccur because there will be gaps in the records for many reasons in parishes across the Diocese of Durham and further afield." A number of recommendations are set to be implemented within the parish to ensure the mix-up does not occur again. Image credits: Google Maps

Family & Pets

"He can't eat anymore": Rolf Harris gravely ill

Disgraced entertainer Rolf Harris is reportedly battling neck cancer and unable to eat or talk, as friends say he has declined since his release from prison. The 92-year-old, who was convicted on 12 counts of indecent assault against teenage girls, is being fed by a tube and lives with his wife of 64 years, Alwen Hughes, who has Alzheimer’s Disease. The couple are said to rarely leave their home in the village of Bray in Berkshire, about 50km outside of London. Neighbour Portia Wooderson told the Daily Telegraph: "Only carers and nurses, who care for him 24 hours, come and go. I'm told he can't eat anymore." William Merritt, a private investigator and author, told the Daily Mail that Harris was “gravely sick”. "[He's] battling a cancer of the neck, and gargles when he talks. It's difficult to understand him, but he is still the entertainer,” Mr Merritt said. "As soon as one of two people walk into the room, he turns into a big kid again. He's an artistic type, and he'll try to perform on cue, even when he's unwell." Harris was imprisoned in 2014 for five years and nine months but was released in 2017 on licence. Though he hasn’t spoken publicly since his release, the entertainer shared a statement in Rolf Harris: The Defence Team's Special Investigator Reveals the Truth Behind the Trials, a book recently released by Mr Merritt. "I understand we live in the post truth era and know few will want to know what really happened during the three criminal trials I faced – it's easier to condemn me and liken me to people like [Jimmy] Saville and [Gary] Glitter,” his statement read. "I was convicted of offences I did not commit in my first trial. That is not just my view but the view of the Court of Appeal who overturned one of my convictions. I had already served the prison sentence by the time of the appeal. "I changed my legal team after the first trial, and I was told that if the truth was out there, William [Merritt] would find it and he did. The evidence he found proved my innocence to two subsequent juries. "I'd be in prison serving a sentence for crimes I did not commit if it were not for William's investigation. It is difficult to put into words the injustice that I feel." Of the 12 convictions, one has since been overturned, though he was stripped of many of his honours in the wake of the charges, including his Order of Australia and British CBE. Image: Getty Images

News

Mother gives grave warning after daughter loses leg

A mother is urging parents to think again before they let their children near and around adult equipment after her own daughter lost her leg in a horrific lawnmower accident in August. Mum Sarah Reardon said her three-year-old daughter Abigail Reardon, is dealing with her new circumstances “far better than all the adults in her life” after she was reversed over by the mower in Franklin, Massachusetts. The horrifying accident took place on August 22 and resulted in extensive damage to Abigail’s left foot and leg. It left her needing an amputation from her mid-calf. Ms Reardon said the accident happened quickly. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7838231/baby-loses-leg-2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/3ab4b3d15ae448858175ce9b20d1172b" /> “She was out playing and the lawnmower was put into reverse and she was there,” the heartbroken mother told Boston 25 News. The driver of the ride-on mower has not been identified because what happened was an accident, she said. Abigail spent 16 days at the Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence. The little girl has undergone five surgeries and her mother said more surgeries are likely to come. Ms Reardon aid she had an “amazing, determined, resilient little spirit”. “Abby lost her left foot and leg up to the middle of her calf, endured plastic reconstructive surgery, has significant soft tissue injuries to recover from, and is fighting bacterial and fungal infections from her wounds,” she wrote on a GoFundMe page. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7838232/baby-loses-leg-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/7f7598eb86a447d78768670d345f38d9" /> Her mum also said she faces ongoing issues, including requiring medications, and “will need many prosthetic leg fittings over the course of the next 15+ years, or until she’s done growing”. “As the bones in her amputated leg grow, it’s likely the skin won’t stretch fast enough to keep up, so she’s expected to go through many procedures to ‘shorten the bone’ as she grows.” The mum said the accident was also witnessed by Abigail’s older sister Alexa. She has also expressed she wants said Alexa to begin counselling to help her understand the accident. Ms Reardon said she wants parents to be aware of the dangers of ride-on mowers. “They’re obviously very dangerous machines,” she said. “I’ve learned way more statistics than I wanted to about what happens to over 9000 children a year.” Ms Reardon was citing statistics from the American Academy of Paediatrics. AAoP advises children be kept indoors while ride-on mowers are in use. A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Abigail’s family pay for medical costs.

Body

Helena Bonham Carter uses psychic to contact Princess Margaret for acting tips from beyond the grave

Actress Helena Bonham Carter has revealed that she’s reached out to Princess Margaret via a psychic to ask for her permission to play her in Netflix’s show The Crown. Princess Margaret passed away at the age of 71 back in 2002, so Bonham Carter thought that it would only be right to reach out and get permission before she went forth playing the lady herself. “She said, apparently, she was glad it was me,” Bonham Carter, 53, revealed at <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/helena-bonham-carter-tells-cheltenham-3398590" target="_blank">a sold-out session at the Cheltenham Literary Festival</a> on October 5. “When you play someone real, you really want their blessing because you do have a responsibility. “I asked her, ‘Are you OK with me playing you?’ And she said, ‘You’re better than the other actress that they were thinking of.’ “That made me think maybe she is here because it’s a really classic Margaret thing to say – she is really good at complimenting you and putting you down at the same time.” Reaching out to someone from beyond the grave is nothing new for Bonham Carter as she always talks to a psychic when playing a real person who has passed away. The Queen’s younger sister also included some rules for Bonham Carter to follow. She said, “You’re going to have to brush up and be more groomed and neater.” Bonham Carter has been excited to play the role for a while, as Princess Margaret is known in a “one dimensional” way by the public. “Everyone has such a particular idea of Margaret. It’s very daunting and I don’t really look like her,” she told <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/politics/helena-bonham-carter-known-vulnerable-tricky-combination/" target="_blank">The Telegraph</a> in December 2018. “But like the Queen, no one really knows what they’re like privately, so you can make your own choices.” She also confirmed that she researched for the role by talking to people who knew her closely, including relatives and three former ladies-in-waiting. “They really loved her, and when you go to the inner circle of people … they were very happy to talk about her because they miss her,” she said. “I felt very lucky to suddenly be the receptacle of all these stories. I think, for a lot of the friends, they are so tired with her being portrayed in a one-dimensional, very bitchy understanding of her.”

Dad grieves for daughter at wrong grave for 30 years

A UK father has made the heartbreaking discovery he has been grieving for his daughter at the wrong grave for more than 30 years because of a mistake with the headstone. Manchester man George Salt’s daughter Victoria sadly died two days after being born in July 1988. She was buried at Southern Cemetery in Manchester. But an error made more than three decades ago – the headstone had been moved to an empty spot– meant he had been grieving the loss of his daughter at the wrong grave. The mistake was only realised this year when George found the gravestone, which also had 17 other names on it, had been moved. After checking grave records cemetery workers discovered the gravestone had been placed in the wrong spot in the 1980s and decided to move it to the correct location. <img width="809" height="455" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/AA11/production/_102873534_grave.jpg?width=809&height=455&mode=max" alt="Victoria's gravestone" class="responsive-image__img js-image-replace" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/> George, who had visited the grave twice a year for 30 years, told the BBC he’s devastated. “I looked down and was completely gobsmacked. I thought ‘where’s the stone gone?’. “I feel so let down. When you go to a grave you sit and talk and say what your troubles are and things like that, but the annoying thing is I’m talking to a piece of ground where she isn’t there.” George told The Mirror he had suspected something was wrong in 1988 but was reassured by authorities the gravestone was in the right place. Luthfur Rahman, Manchester City Council’s executive member for culture and leisure, told Mirror Online: “We completely understand Mr Salt’s distress and we would like to extend our sincere apologies for any upset caused. “There are more than 200,000 graves at Southern Cemetery and we strive to ensure the plots are well looked after. “The public grave had not been disturbed for around 30 years so it is unclear why the headstone had at some point during that period been moved to a vacant plot close by.”

Family & Pets

The surprising items celebrities were buried with

For centuries, ancient Egyptians were buried with a number of items believed to be necessary in the afterlife. These included everyday items like bowls, combs, furniture and food plus magical/protective objects like amulets. The tombs of wealthy individuals also contained jewellery and other valuables. While this practice has mostly fallen by the wayside in most cultures, many people still choose to be buried with sentimental objects – even celebrities have done it. Here, we’re taking a look at some of the unusual items Hollywood stars chose to be buried with. To see them, scroll through the gallery above and tell us in the comments, if you could choose one thing to take with you to the grave, what would it be?

Caring

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's special visit to Diana's grave

Prince Harry took his fiancé Meghan Markle to his late mother Princess Diana’s grave before he proposed to her, the Daily Star reports. The couple visited Diana’s final resting place at her childhood home in Althorp Estate, Northants, in November. It is where Diana’s brother Charles the 9th Earl Spencer lives. Harry is believed to have “asked” for his mother’s blessing and a few days later, he popped the question to his girlfriend on November 27, 2017. A source told the Star: “Harry has already taken Meghan to Althorp to see his mum, but they will go back before the big day. “Harry wanted to take Meghan to see and speak to her (Diana)… it was very personal for Harry. “I think he quietly asked his mum for her blessing to marry Meghan, too.” Both Harry and Prince William last publicly visited the island where <a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/relationships/2017/06/prince-william-and-harry-to-attend-private-service-for-diana-this-weekend/">Diana is buried in August 2017</a> to mark 20 years since the death of their mother.

News

Mother goes on 15,000km journey to find war hero son’s grave

Louise Evans is a journalist and over a 30-year career Louise has worked around the world as a reporter, foreign correspondent, editor and media executive. She’s been lucky to report on many great events and amazing people. But she never imagined one of the best stories she’d ever uncover would be hidden within her own family. What would you do if you had 10 children and your abusive, gambling husband abandoned you and the kids with no means of support? It was 1955 and after 30 years in a loveless marriage, Brisbane mother Thelma Healy could no longer live on her wits and the handful of shillings her negligent husband occasionally flung her way to feed and clothe their large brood. So Thelma decided to take the then extraordinary step of going to court to claim maintenance and to weather the considerable shame it caused. The case was a scandal of true tabloid proportions. The courtroom was heaving with sweaty spectators crammed into the stalls at the Brisbane Summons Court to hear salacious details of the neglect and beatings Mick Healy, a pious Catholic and bank manager, inflicted on his long-suffering wife and kids. The story was splashed across the newspapers. It was shocking but Thelma won and for the first time in her married life she had a regular income to buy bread and milk, socks and shoes. But Thelma wasn’t done fighting. She started saving for her life mission: to embark on a 15,000km solo voyage to Korea to find the grave of her war hero son Vincent, who died in uncertain circumstances fighting the communists in the Korean War. <img width="500" height="750" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/15355/cc-louise-passage3_500x750.jpg" alt="CC LOUISE Passage3 (1)"/> The scandalous details of Thelma Healy's court case was fodder for the newspapers <img width="500" height="750" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/15351/cc-louise-passage2_500x750.jpg" alt="CC LOUISE Passage2"/> Thelma Healy's solider son Vince on leave in Tokyo after World War II Brisbane-born international journalist Louise Evans details the extraordinary life journey of Thelma Healy in a new non-fiction book Passage to Pusan. Over a 30-year career Louise has worked around Australia and around the world as a reporter, foreign correspondent, editor and media executive. She’s been lucky to report on many great events and amazing people. But she never imagined one of the best stories she’d ever uncover would be hidden within her own family. Thelma Healy is Louise’s grandmother, who died when Louise was eight. The trigger to writing the book was reading Thelma’s travel diary which details in graphic page-turning detail Thelma’s brave self-funded journey to war-torn Korea in 1961 to say good-bye to her son. It took Louise two years to research Thelma’s life from her origins in the quaint Brisbane bayside village of Sandgate to the civil unrest of Pusan (now Busan) in Korea where Thelma’s first-born son was buried in cold, foreign soil. <img width="500" height="750" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/15352/cc-louise-passage_500x750.jpg" alt="CC LOUISE Passage"/> Passage to Pusan's heroine Thelma Healy holds her treasured travel diary in front of a picture of her beloved son Vince Passage to Pusan takes you back to a time when life was tough, when war in Japan, Korea and Vietnam dominated the news, when food was rationed, when air raid sirens sounded over night skies and the threat of Japanese invasion and communist aggression was on Australia’s doorstep. Compared to today’s generation of have everything, Passage to Pusan takes you back to the days of have less and have nothing, when people grew vegetables and raised chickens in the backyard to survive, when recycling was a necessity and a trip to the pictures was a great treat. Thelma’s big family lived in rented old wooden Queenslander, the verandah was converted into bedrooms to accommodate her large brood, washing was done in the copper, wet clothes were dried on wire slung between wooden poles, perishable food was stored in the ice chest and the radio was the only post-dinner entertainment. <img width="500" height="708" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/15358/cc-louise-passage4_500x708.jpg" alt="CC LOUISE Passage4"/> The book also takes you into the inspiring world of Thelma Healy, a strong, brave, loving and resilient woman to whom family was everything. Thelma almost lost the will to live when her brave son Vince, her golden-haired boy, the father the rest of the kids never had, was killed in 1951. But she vowed that before she died she would find his grave and hopefully find some peace. It took her another 10 years of slaving and saving before she had enough money to embark on that journey of a lifetime. She feared for what she might find and yet feared she might not find what she sought. Passage to Pusan is an uplifting story of struggle, survival, resilience and redemption. It is also a reminder of the character of people who helped make Australia great. <img width="500" height="333" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/15353/cc-louise-passage5_500x333.jpg" alt="CC LOUISE Passage5"/> Passage to Pusan author and journalist Louise Evans Passage to Pusan is now on sale, online and on Facebook. To read more or to purchase the book visit the Passage to Pusan website <a href="http://passagetopusan.com" target="_blank">here.</a> To see more pictures from the book, click on the Passage to Pusan Facebook page <a href="https://www.facebook.com/passagetopusan/" target="_blank">here. </a><a href="https://www.facebook.com/passagetopusan/"></a> To contact the publisher PB Publishing email: <a href="mailto:info@pbpublishing.com.au">info@pbpublishing.com.au</a> or phone: 03 5428 2201. To watch Major General Paul McLachlan, AM, CSC, launch the epic new book Passage to Pusan by international journalist Louise Evans click <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMSjnxrJemY&feature=youtu.be" target="_blank">here </a><a href="http://www.passagetopusan.com"> </a> Related links: <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/family-pets/2016/01/photos-of-animals-hitchhiking/">Hilarious photos of animals hitchhiking</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/family-pets/2016/01/animals-who-love-warm/">In pictures: 12 animals who love warmth more than anything</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/family-pets/2015/10/why-dogs-so-happy-to-see-you/">The science behind dogs being so happy to see you</a>

News

Over 60

News

Shop

Catalogues

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

Entertainment

Property

Information

Keep up to date

Search

Family learns they visited wrong gravestone for nearly 20 years

"He can't eat anymore": Rolf Harris gravely ill

Mother gives grave warning after daughter loses leg

Helena Bonham Carter uses psychic to contact Princess Margaret for acting tips from beyond the grave

Dad grieves for daughter at wrong grave for 30 years

The surprising items celebrities were buried with

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's special visit to Diana's grave

Mother goes on 15,000km journey to find war hero son’s grave

News

Shop

Catalogues

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

Entertainment

Property

Information

Keep up to date

Search

Family learns they visited wrong gravestone for nearly 20 years

"He can't eat anymore": Rolf Harris gravely ill

Mother gives grave warning after daughter loses leg

Helena Bonham Carter uses psychic to contact Princess Margaret for acting tips from beyond the grave

Dad grieves for daughter at wrong grave for 30 years

The surprising items celebrities were buried with

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's special visit to Diana's grave

Mother goes on 15,000km journey to find war hero son’s grave

Join Over60