Veteran journalist Kevin Ball will not be short of a read as he one day wends his way to the afterlife.
Now retired as a scribe Kevin - who was a junior reporter at the Northern Advocate from 1960-1964 and then as reporter and chief sub between 1966 and 1977 - is a dedicated member of Henley Mens Shed in Masterton, and, looking for a project, struck on the idea of making his own coffin. He was not the first to do so as the Mens Shed has a coffin club and three others had beaten him to it but his coffin has a unique feature.
Almost the entire outside of his plywood final earthly resting place is covered in news stories he wrote during 30-odd years as a Wairarapa Times-Age journalist and specialist motoring writer.
Also included is the story he wrote for the Northern Advocate of the bus crash on the Brynderwyns on February 7, 1963, that killed 15.
The stories are glued on and covered with a coating of polyurethane although they will only have a short life once Kevin passes, as he is to be cremated.