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Always authentic, constantly creative, infinitely intriguing, forever free.
In his possession were a marvellous heart and a beautiful mind.
“Where do you begin to tell a person’s story?” Mary Manley questioned.
In this case, the story of Pip Charles Manley began with the Charles Dickens classic Great Expectations.
“The year before Pip was born I watched an animated version of Great Expectations and I was drawn to this long, lanky, youth called Pip,” Mrs Manley, Pip’s mother, said.
“I just saw something lovely and vulnerable in the character and the name stayed with me until the 10th of June 1992 when our much-treasured little boy arrived and we gave him this quirky, different name.”
At 10.30am yesterday Mrs Manley said goodbye to her boy, 21 years after his birth, 10 weeks following his disappearance.
“I know Pip’s untimely passing has left a lot of heartache for many of you,” Mrs Manley told Pip’s friends and family during his memorial service.
“With so many people attending here today I’d like to encourage you to always seek help when a dark place envelops you. Each of you are loved by many people, reach out to those whose hands are there to hold and guide you. It takes courage, but do it.”
The telling of Pip’s story continued with an admiration-filled instalment from his young brother Giles.
“In the 21 years you spent on earth you were true to you. Never did you pretend to be someone you were not, that’s why I think so many people loved you,” Giles said. “You were an individual, a gift from God, someone who brought happiness to other lives, a free soul.
“Your quirky nature and unforgettable personality will forever be etched into my memory, there will only be one Pip.
“I would not want anyone else as my brother. You were the most amazing person and have forever changed me. You didn’t marry, have kids or live to be 90, but that wasn’t you.
“I choose to celebrate you, your life and who you were. You’re a diamond in the rough, a jack in the box, a shining light in the dark and that is how I will remember you.”
In a moving tribute to his son, Jonathon Manley spoke of his great love for Pip and also his despair.
“Pip created his own world and dreamed of a better world for him and his friends. He was one of a kind and didn’t pretend to be anyone else but Pip, and his friends loved him for that,” Mr Manley said. “He was fun loving, spontaneous, quirky, caring, sensitive and compassionate.
Pip was a Peter Pan type of character, someone who would never grow old and now this morning, and every morning for some of us, we are celebrating the life of Pip who will never grow old.
“I still have great expectations of Pip up in heaven. I love my son and I wish I was there for him when he took that last walk. We never got to have that steak while watching the cricket. I had faith we would find Pip in the 10 weeks he was missing but now I have faith that I will find him in heaven in the years ahead.”
But Pip’s final literary chapter came from Pip himself.
“Always try and tell it exactly how it is and just present myself. People respect that, I hope,” Pip wrote in his short autobiography.
“I wasn’t born to sit in a corner and blend into the crowd, or live a 9 to 5 desk job. Life is way too short to play it safe and I want to make the most of every moment, experience every rush and live with no regrets.
“The thing is, there is no ideal life, it’s what you make of it.”