HUNDREDS of people gathered yesterday to say their final farewells to much-loved member of the local community Christopher Rohrlach.
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At just 43 years of age, Chris suffered a fatal heart attack while helping out on a neighbour’s property at Bundarra last Monday.
He is survived by wife Rachel and sons Kieron and Liam.
Chris was well known in the community for many reasons, but most of all as a friendly, hard-working and loving family man who would bend over backwards to help others.
It was perhaps this selfless spirit that saw him make the life-changing decision at the tender age of just 22 to assume full time care of his quadriplegic fiance, Rachel.
Only days after Chris and Rachel announced their engagement and that they were expecting a baby, Rachel suffered a massive stroke.
Miraculously, Rachel and the baby survived, and Kieron arrived safe and sound soon after Rachel came out of her coma.
Medical staff tried to pressure Chris into putting Rachel into a home - she would just be a burden to the young man with a promising future in law. But Chris had made up his mind - he would care for his fiance and newborn babe himself.
Many would have struggled just to keep it together in such a situation, but Chris was determined to give his family a good life.
He ventured into building and livestock to keep his family afloat - and in 2000 even took them on a trip around Australia.
But Chris was to receive another bombshell.
In early 2005, while settling into a new home outside Bundarra near Chris’s parents, June and Trevor, he found out the impossible: Rachel was pregnant again.
“We were shocked because we didn’t think Rachel could have anymore children,” June said. “And we were worried about Chris. But we saw how well he coped with Kieron and we knew that, with help, he would get through it.
“Liam was our second miracle.”
It was this birth - and unique situation - that attracted the attention of Indian/Australian film maker Safina Uberoi.
It just so happened that at the same time Chris and his best mate Danny Poulsen happened to be embarking on a very controversial business project.
They were going to open Inverell’s first legal brothel.
“Everytime we were on the drink we would joke that there had to be money in it and we should give it a go,” Danny said.
“One day we sat down an had a sober talk about it and decided to go for it.”
The brothel attracted huge criticism from the community, but Chris and Danny persevered with the full support of their wives and families.
“We had a go at it for about six months until we realised it wasn’t our cup of tea,” Danny said. “We leased it out but it only survived a few more months.”
The trials and tribulations of the business venture were caught on film by Uberoi’s cameramen. ‘A Good Man’ aired on ABC’S Australian Story in 2010 and nominated for a number of awards in a various film festivals.
“Chris was a person who really made you realise that ordinary human beings can be extraordinary,” Safina said.
“He proved that you make decisions that are morally right for you ... you become a good person. He was a wild and wonderful friend.”
Ultimately, Chris’ death hasn’t just left a huge whole in his vast network of family and friends but also in the local community - and this was reflected by the huge turnout at the Inverell Crematorium yesterday.
“He was the full package ... the best mate I ever had - he’d do anything for you,” Danny said.
Family is currently organising around-the-clock, at-home care and services for Rachel and Liam. Kieron, 20, is currently completing a building apprenticeship in Tamworth.
