Alex Scarrow funeral: Te Pohue farewells rafter and beloved fireman

The guard of honour for Alex Scarrow outside Te Pohue Fire Station. Photo / Paul Taylor

The small Te Pohue community has had one of its biggest turnouts in years for the funeral of Alex Scarrow, who died while rafting with friends on Mohaka River last Saturday.

The Hawke’s Bay community’s small fire station and surrounds in Ohurakura Rd, just off State Highway 5, were packed with people farewelling a man who would not hesitate to help anyone.

The day before a likely shortage of seats was noted and mourners were asked to bring their own if they could. Around 200 people sat outside in the hot but cloudy conditions, as proceedings took place to farewell the man who was soon to be promoted to op controller of the volunteer rural fire brigade. He had made it his passion since arriving in the area to work on a farm 11 years ago.

It was on that farm that he met partner-to-be Abby Morley. It seemed a good match for a man who had his rough edges but who would not flinch at helping anyone in difficulty. He was often the first to arrive on scene at crashes, mainly on the highway, which the brigade would be called to.

A burst of flame as Te Pohue farewells Alex Scarrow, who drowned while rafting with friends on Mohaka River last Saturday. Photo / Paul Taylor

Over the years he established his own farm-fencing run, Five Stag Fencing, which did everything from post-and-wire deer fencing to post and rail.

Ultimately he became fencer-general at Te Waka, with the wider environment being the right type of country for his outdoor lifestyle of hunting, fishing, trail-bike riding, kayaking and rafting.

There’d be better words than “mourning” for the way Te Pohue sent him off – the service, a series of often funny yarns, was a celebration of a man who had packed a lot into his 31 years, from a lifetime full of antics to the more serious matters of helping Te Pohue through the devastation of Cyclone Gabrielle, and a successful push to get the brigade a second appliance.

The exit was done in style, with a fire crew’s guard of honour, a haka, the station’s siren and flame effects of the type usually reserved for sports stadiums every time someone scores, and, after a service which featured several of his favourite songs, an outro of James Blunt’s Goodbye My Lover.

Doug Laing is a senior reporter based in Napier with Hawke’s Bay Today, and has 50 years of journalism experience in news gathering, including breaking news, sports, local events, issues, and personalities.