A Geraldton man went out with a bang on the weekend, when his ashes were spread over the family farm after being shot into the sky as part of a fireworks display.
Heather Willcox said it was a fitting send off for her husband, who was a “lovely man with a contagious laugh”.
Leigh Willcox died in 2012 after a seven year battle against two types of cancer.
“He wanted his ashes spread on the farm but we were waiting for the right time,” his wife said.
The couple bought the farm, with views of the ocean, in 2000.
Mrs Willcox said her husband worked in underground mining where he often had to blow things up, so spreading his ashes via fireworks made sense.
She said it was a “fantastic night” with friends and relatives gathering at the family farm on Saturday night for a barbecue before ending the night with the fireworks display.
Mrs Willcox said her husband’s ashes were sent into the sky as the finale.
Ken Boyland from Mid West Fireworks said he had only scattered ashes using fireworks once before many years ago but since the weekend, he’d had a lot of positive feedback about the idea.
He said setting off the fireworks on a farm reduced red tape involved as a permit was required to set off fireworks from public land.
Mr Boyland said the seven-minute display cost about $2000.
