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You are > Home > Mayo man discovered in New Zealand 14 months after his death
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22 September 2011
Mayo man discovered in New Zealand 14 months after his death
By Keith Bourke
A MAYO man lay dead in his New Zealand council flat for more than a year before his body was found. Michael Clarke, aged 87, was found at his run-down flat in Wellington last month. His disappearance went unnoticed by neighbours and his body was not discovered for more than 14 months. He was only found by chance as council workers went door-to-door to make arrangements to move tenants prior to the dilapidated council block’s demolition.
The pensioner was known to like his privacy and his rent and power bills continued to be paid by direct debit. His sad death made headlines in New Zealand.
No family were present at Mr Clarke’s funeral last week, which was attended by a small group of people including the Mayor of Wellington, Celia Wade-Brown. Very little is known about the Mayo man who lived an intensely private life. He had worked for a dairy company before his retirement in the 1980s. Celebrant Alister Hendery paid tribute to a forgotten man.
"Michael's life was shrouded in anonymity and lived out in a sense of intense privacy," he said.
"For reasons known only to Michael, he chose to live his life as he did. We seek to come to terms with the circumstances surrounding his death and the discovery of his body. Here we come to pay tribute to a fellow mortal who lived in our midst yet we hardly knew him; who was one of us, yet chose to live apart," Mr Hendery added. Mr Hendery said that only scant details were known about Mr Clarke’s life.
"It is not possible to recount even the barest detail of his life, except that he was born on the December 26, 1923 and that he died in his home around July 2010.
"As far as we know there are none who were close to him. And yet, while there is no community, no individuals who we can name as the bereaved, we are all bereaved. In life, he was, whether he knew it or not, precious and irreplaceable.
The full story is available in our print and digital editions.
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