PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - In a tragic twist of fate friends and families of an Irish couple who drowned in Plettenberg Bay recently have gone from celebrating their marriage to burying their loved ones within just over two weeks.
On Monday November 2, family and friends of 28-year-old John Rodgers and his 26-year-old wife Lynette, the couple from Belfast who drowned on Robberg Beach on October 23 while on honeymoon in South Africa, bid their final farewells during a joint funeral service at First Holywood Presbyterian Church in Ireland where they had been married just over two weeks earlier, on October 17.
Reverend Noble McNeely, who officiated at the couple's wedding ceremony, led their funeral service.
On Thursday, October 29, flowers almost identical to those in Lynette's bridal bouquet were placed on the beach where they had lost their lives, as those who tried to save them paid their final respects. The couple arrived in South Africa on October 20 to start their honeymoon and had just arrived in Plettenberg Bay when tragedy struck.
Shortly after their arrival in Plettenberg Bay, the couple went for a swim when, it is believed, strong rip currents swept them out to sea. Their bodies were discovered in shallow surf at about 18:00 by passersby.
The British Consulate and the Western Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism conducted a wreath-laying ceremony on October 29, at Robberg Beach where the couple drowned.
"Our thoughts go out to the family dealing with this devastating tragedy," honorary British Consul in the Eastern Cape Jackie Barclay said during the ceremony.
He added that he also felt it necessary to thank the locals who responded to the drowning. "We are grateful for your assistance and all your efforts in trying to resuscitate them."
Among those who attended the ceremony were members of the Plettenberg Bay station of the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) who wanted to pay their respects, including Brad Thomas who was one of the first to respond to the emergency call.
Tourism safety and support officer for the Western Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism Ilze Jacobs, who had the wreath made, said she had chosen similar flowers to Lynette's bridal bouquet, which included white roses and several other purple flowers, as a final tribute.
Barclay said he officially identified the bodies the day before as the families had been unable to travel to South Africa. The autopsies were concluded in Knysna by a pathologist from the Western Cape Department of Health on Tuesday, October 27. Barclay said their remains were then transported to Johannesburg and flown back to Ireland on Friday, October 30.
Click here for previous articles:
- Moving tribut to Irish couple
- Update: Irish honeymooners drown
- Update: Irish couple drowns on honeymoon
- 2 bodies found on Robberg Beach
ARTICLE: YOLANDé STANDER, KNYSNA-PLETT HERALD - CORRESPONDENT
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