RON Hore’s unusual do-it-yourself project has drawn many reactions, ranging from admiration to horror.
About 18 months ago the 79-year-old Quambatook retiree and Kerang Men’s Shed member decided to venture where few had been before him and build his own coffin.
“I was looking at a DIY site on the net one night and I saw that a fellow in America had made his own casket and I thought that would be a good idea,” Mr Hore said.
“Then I was at the Men’s Shed one day and decided I needed a project of some sort and I thought of the coffin.”
With encouragement from shed co-ordinator Harry Sambrooks, Mr Hore went back on the internet and found a set of plans and got to work.
More than 12 months on, the finished product is strikingly professional, with a rich finish and silver fittings.
“Harry’s been a great help, there’s no way I could have done something like this without him, and some of the other fellas have been very helpful too,” Mr Hore said.
“I’m quite proud of myself; I put an awful lot of time into it but it’s been worth it.”
While a similar coffin would carry a price tag of several thousand dollars, Mr Hore estimated it had cost him about $700.
“There are rules and regulations to conform to, and hopefully what I’ve followed from the net is enough, but I will have to see an undertaker and get it checked out,” Mr Hore said.
“It’s not quite finished, it will be never finished, because if I finish it I might end up in it.”
Mr Hore said the project had drawn a wide array of reactions, with his children among those in the disapproving camp.
“You’ve got no idea some of the comments and different reactions from different people, it’s unbelievable,” he said.
“Some of them don’t want to know about it, it’s too morbid, and the kids aren’t very happy about it.
“It’s almost sick, but it’s funny.”
