Emotional scenes after shock loss of ‘Bear’
Hundreds have gathered to farewell a rugby player who died on the field, marking his funeral with a haka on the streets of Blenheim.
The colours of his beloved Waitohi featured strongly at the funeral of Bevan Moody yesterday, from his rugby jersey draped over his casket to his daughter fully kitted out in yellow and black.
Friends, family, coaches and team-mates of the 22-year-old spoke emotionally about Moody, known affectionately as ‘‘Bear’’, inside the packed 700-seater ASB Theatre.
Moody’s coach Tonga Taumoefolau said he first told Moody to try out for the team after seeing him watching from the sideline most weeks.
Moody was a force to be reckoned with on the field, quick to tackle, he said.
He also led a fierce haka at many games, playing for the Marlborough Boys’ College First XV before joining Waitohi.
‘‘I watched him improve, not just in his rugby,’’ Taumoefolau said.
‘‘When the baby came along, I saw a boy not only become a man, but his whole world was tipped upside down for the better. It wasn’t all about rugby anymore, it was about supporting his family.’’
Moody and partner Kendra Stewart are expecting a second child.
His best friend, Atu Moli, described Moody’s attempts to catch the eye of Stewart as they walked to school.
After a much-deliberated friend request on Facebook, she let him help her walk the dog, and Moody was too shy to say a single word, Moli said.
His former teacher, Gray Cornelius, said Moody’s loyalty and sense of humour made him a popular college prefect.
‘‘Bear loved sport. He loved it so much he decided to spend 14 years at school instead of 13 like other people,’’ Cornelius quipped.
‘‘He didn’t care who the opposition were, where they were from, what they looked like, he was going to go hard for his mates.
‘‘Bev was big, but the biggest quality Bev had was his loyalty.’’
Waitohi club ‘‘auntie’’ and manager Di Ivamy said Moody was loved by all who knew him.
‘‘Bear did things at his own pace. Didn’t rush for anyone. Always the last showered and dressed after games. Such a gentle bear. But on the field, he became a wild grizzly bear.
‘‘You just couldn’t help but love the big guy.’’
She was one of the first to reach Moody when he collapsed at Nelson’s Neale Park on May 20.
‘‘I held him in my arms and I told him to stay with us and that his two girls needed him.
‘‘I knew then that I couldn’t fix him this time. I lost it when I looked up and saw his Waitohi brothers. That memory will stay with me forever.’’
In New Zealand, around one to three young people a year die during sport.