Hundreds of friends and family of much-loved 95-year-old Cooma resident, Clare Nowland, who was tasered by a NSW Police officer at her aged care home in the NSW Snowy Mountains on May 18, today gathered to farewell the great-grandmother.
The mother-of-eight died in Cooma Hospital a week after she was tasered inside her room at a local nursing room when staff called police for assistance, reporting that the 43kg Ms Nowland was holding a kitchen knife.
Those gathered at her funeral today heard tales of the loving, gutsy, thrill-seeking great-grandmother, who went skydiving on her 80th birthday.
What was less well known was that she completed the fete with two cracked ribs she had secretly suffered the day before, mourners heard.
“She could hardly let the family down by telling them, in case they cancel all the hard work,” Ms Nowland’s eldest son, Michael, told the packed St Patrick’s Church this morning.
“So she soldiered on, making the jump with cracked ribs.”
Ms Nowland had been a regular parishioner and pastoral aide at the church that hosted her send off today.
The 150-year-old stone church was shrouded in fog as Ms Nowland’s friends and family gathered inside to celebrate her life and contributions to the community.
