Family, friends lay Evara to rest

National

By HELEN TARAWA
Rosalyn Albaniel Evara was finally laid to rest at the 9-Mile cemetery witnessed by her family, friends and work colleagues at about midday on Saturday.
As her casket was being lowered, cubes of laundry soap were sprinkled.
Her two sons (Dylan Kyle and Eden Caleb) had a hobby of cutting coloured laundry soap. Whenever she visited their graves, she would sprinkle soap.
A few Chinese lanterns were lit and released.
Evara, 41, was the business editor of the Post-Courier newspaper. She passed away on Oct 15 at the Port Moresby General Hospital.
During a funeral service, pictures of her bruised and injured body were shown, suggesting that she had suffered from violence.
A death certificate showed that she was brought to the hospital after she had collapsed that afternoon. She had been complaining of headaches the previous day.
Her Mum Ella Albaniel, fighting back tears, told The National that she had realised that Papua New Guinea owned her daughter for the services she had given to the country.
“I thought my family and I owned her, but I have come to realise that PNG’s eight million-odd people owned my daughter for the services she had given in her short time of life to this country,” she said.
“At first I thought I owned her and I should do what mothers do but in the end I realised that eight million Papua New Guineans owned my daughter for the type of job that she did.
“People I have not met in my life, and these are friends backdating to her primary school days, university days, and working days – too many.
“I honestly am totally lost.
“I didn’t know that my first baby daughter would go out of her way and make such an impact on her job.
“I thank many of you whom I have never met. It was not for her passing away, but her passing brought us together.
“I thank God for that opportunity to meet you all and I know that she is happy that I have met some of you.
“With that, she is now laid to rest and her legacy will live on.”
Among her friends at the burial was Olive Sakiasi, who represented the Tertiary Students Christian Fellowship (TSCF) of which Evara was a member.
“We built ourselves through TSCF when we went to those universities.
“Today despite being faced with life’s situations, she is a testimony of that life,” Sakiasi said.
Evara was buried near one of her two sons grave.
Meanwhile investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death is to formally begin today, Criminal Investigation Division Detective Sergeant Nei Pige says. Evara’s home at Kaubebe Street, Boroko, has been declared a crime scene and is cordoned off, Pige confirmed.
“Families were busy with burial so we will get statements and attend to the crime scene.”
PNG’s chief pathologist Dr Seth Fose, who had carried out the autopsy submitted his  preliminary report to the corona on Friday morning.
“The coroner has the power to release findings to the media and wider public.” Fose said.
“Only two people have the report, the coroner and I, so I’m not sure how these people claim to have copies of the report.
“The final report will be released in two weeks.”