Australia Gathers For The Funeral Of Phillip Hughes

The small New South Wales town of Macksville has been brought to a halt as the entire town and in turn the entire country gathered for the funeral of late cricketer Phillip Hughes.

 Family, friends, former teammates, cricket dignitaries and local mourners have come together for the funeral service, celebrating in unison the life and legacy of Phillip Hughes who died, aged 25, last Thursday after a tragic accident at the SCG.

The family have also invited the rest of the country to join them in celebrating Phillip’s life. The SCG is open to the public today and is live streaming the funeral service which is being broadcasted live by Channel Nine, Seven Ten, ABC TV and Sky News.

Mourners have also gathered at the Western Australia Cricket Association ground as well as Brisbane’s cricket ground, the Gabba. As a touching visual tribute to Hughes, the entire length of the playing field at the SCG has been lined with cricket bats as a sign that Hughes will forever remain 63 not out.

Amongst those in attendance at the Macksville service are Prime Minister Tony Abbott, Australia captain Michael Clarke and Sean Abbott, the cricketer who bowled the bouncer which struck Phillip Hughes.

Australian cricket legend Shane (R) Warne and West Indies cricket legend Brian Lara arrive during the Funeral Service for Phillip Hughes on December 3, 2014 in Macksville, Australia. Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes passed away last Thursday, aged 25, as a result of head injuries sustained during the Sheffield Shield match between South Australia and New South Wales at the SCG on Tuesday 25th November. (Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images)

Father Michael Alcock and Father Peter Jones are saying the service at the funeral. The eulogy was given by Phillip’s cousin Nino Ramunno, as well as his brother Jason Hughes and sister Megan Hughes, who each read a letter they had written to their brother Phillip.

“All I ever wanted was for you to look up to me as your big brother. I still can’t believe that I’m here saying my final goodbyes, even though you are my little bro, you have taught me so much,” said Jason Hughes in his touching letter to his brother. “You have given me confidence, strength, you supported me and gave me a strong desire to succeed. Everyone will have memories of you but I will cherish our childhood memories forever.”

Australian captain Michael Clarke also delivered another touching tribute to his fallen teammate. “He’ll definitely be calling me a sook right now, that’s for sure,” began a teary Clarke. In his beautiful address, Clarke said he felt the spirit of his friend with him, and hoped it would never leave.

“I walked in the middle of the SCG on Thursday night,” he explained. “The same stands where the crowds rose to their feet to cheer him on and that same fence he sent the ball to time and time again. And it’s now forever the place where he fell. I stood there at the wicket I kneeled down and touched the grass, I swear he was with me.”

Clarke also thanked cricket fans in Australian and around the world for their tributes to Hughes over the last week, saying they are demonstrative of Phillip’s spirit in action. “This is what makes our game the greatest game in the world,” he said.

“Phillip’s spirit, which is now part of our game forever, will act as a custodian of the sport we all love. We must listen to it, we must cherish it, we must learn from it, we must dig in. We must dig in and get through to tea. And we must play on. So rest in peace, my little brother, I’ll see you out in the middle.” Watch the entire tribute below.

Following the funeral, the hearse traveled down the main street of Macksville where local mourners lined the streets and paid their farewells.