Grandad's last trip

Yesterday my sister and I attended an annual cousins' gathering, all of us descended from two Sullivan sisters who married two Maher brothers.


We lunched at the historic Craig's Royal Hotel in Ballarat.

This gorgeous old pub is a Ballarat landmark, built in 1853 at the height of the goldrush, and recently refurbished to full Victorian glory.
There were eight cousins in attendance, plus partners, and we had a great time. We've known each other for sixty or seventy years, and grey hair and wonky knees haven't dimmed the fellowship.
Josephine brought a treasure trove of family photos, and Brian and Bernadette heard the story of our convict ancestors for the first time. There was a great-aunt's diary, a collection of old newspaper clippings, and lots of reminiscences.
Barry told the best story of the day, about the death of my grandfather, Pat Maher. Pat lived all his life on the farm in Minyip, but when he retired, he used to divide his time between visiting various family members. In 1949, he went to visit his sister Jennie in Sydney. Unfortunately, he died there. The family knew he'd want to be buried in Minyip beside his wife and daughter. So...his son Jack, and nephews Frank and Michael, decided to bring him home.
Barry was just a nipper, but he remembers it well. The war was over, but petrol was still rationed - they wouldn't be able to buy any on the way. "Dad had all these 4 gallon drums." Barry told us. "He filled them up with petrol, put a bit of rag over the hole, and screwed the caps on tight. Then he stacked them in the boot." Jack's car was a big old pre-war American model, something like this one.

It's about 1000 kilometres from Minyip to Sydney, and on the roads of the day, the trip probably took them about 24 hours each way. "They collected Pat, and brought him home on the back seat, with the three cousins sitting in the front. They delivered him to the undertaker in Minyip, and went home and had a beer."
Understandably, this story gave rise to a few questions. There was a spirited debate as to whether you could have fitted a coffin across the back seat of the car. Consensus - no, you couldn't.
Barry stuck to his version of the story, backed up by his sister Pat. You really don't want to hear all the suggestions that were made for the best way to convey your deceased relative home in the back of the family car...
When we stopped laughing, we wondered - are there laws about that sort of thing? Do you have to get permission to take a body interstate (with or without a coffin)?

Anyway, that's how Pat Maher made his final journey, and was duly interred in the Minyip cemetery beside his beloved Ag. And I'm sure Jack, Frank and Michael treated him with all the care and respect he deserved - he was much loved.

Edit: some doubt has been cast on the truth of this story, I'm hoping to verify it - or not - soon.