00:0060 years after he was ordained Pat Power was farewelled by a crowd that spilled out of St
00:09Christopher's Cathedral. Raised in Queanbeyan he was a schoolboy when he decided he wanted to be
00:17a priest. Always outspoken and a little rebellious this surprised many of his teachers. That spirit
00:24was a constant in his more than 25 years of service as the auxiliary bishop of Canberra and Goulburn.
00:31Speaking out against prejudice and inequality or advocating publicly for Aboriginal reconciliation,
00:38refugee welfare, peacekeeping, racial respect, the unemployed and the rights of the old and dying.
00:46He had other passions too. Encased in his coffin was a Rabbitohs jersey.
00:51He often said being a Rabbitohs supporter was like being Catholic. There were highs and lows but
00:57loyalty was everything. The former Bunnies coach and current steward of the Broncos took a break
01:03from NRL finals preparations to pay his respects. He's supported me in many different ways. Mad south
01:10man, obviously was able to share some very special times with Pat through that period of time. Others
01:16whose lives he touched remembered a man of the people. Even though he was a bishop, he insists on
01:22being called Pat, Father Pat, or just Pat. I became a teacher later and I tried to emulate the way he
01:28treated the students. He embraced everyone. He wasn't just for Catholics, he was for the whole of Canberra.
01:36Father Pat was laid to rest at Woden Cemetery, leaving behind a powerful legacy.
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