The lost undertaker, Canberra

(Image source: here )

Going through an internet loop, I came across an article 'Mysterious undertaker riding a coffin appears on Australian lake' and was thunderstruck when I read that the 'Australian lake' in question was Canberra's very own (man-made!) Lake Burley-Griffin.

Was a literary archetype (Villain? Hero? Friendly reminder that death comes to us all?) here in the country's capital the whole time I've lived here? Did he float in from another state? And that most silly question people ask 'why would he do this, what does he want?' apparently when Mashable tried to contact a person they speculated was 'The Lost Undertaker' as he has come to be known, they received this email, apparently not from the figure they thought might be him.

'Unlike Superman, Robin Hood, Zorro, Spiderman, Batman and Wonderwoman, who all revealed their identity to the detriment of their purpose; The Lost Undertaker wishes to hide his true identity. His purpose is to give hope to the oppressed and put the fear of God into the oppressors, villains and rogues that surround us all.'

I for one kind of love this! This obsession people have with 'knowing' who people are dilutes the magic and perhaps the message (The Stig comes to mind). A solitary figure paddling around in the misty morning is an image many won't be able to remove from their mind, particularly when around the lake.

(Image source: here )

(Image source here )

(Image cource here )

(Image source here )

Some of the people in the linked articles talked to him:

“We asked 'coffin man,' 'Where are you going'? His response was, 'To Queanbeyan cemetery as I have a 3 p.m. grave site to prepare,’

The imagery and mystery he has managed to conjure is bang on, especially if he just wants to (perhaps, merely my own speculation) remind us all that in the end, death comes to us all.

(Image source here )

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