The pews were all but unpeopled, but, for the funeral service of Bernie Curran, the vast space of Sacred Heart Cathedral was filled with words.
Words of religion, and poetry. Words of remembrance, and of hope. And words of love. So many words of love.
For Dr Bernie Curran was a man of words.
Above all, Bernard Francis Curran was a people man. He loved people. And people, from all walks of life, loved Bernie.
The father and grandfather, community and university leader, local rugby mentor, and joy-of-life propagator died suddenly on July 30. He was aged 76.
COVID restrictions kept the people away from the funeral service, with just 10 mourners allowed inside the church.
Father Andrew Doohan, Rector of Sacred Heart Cathedral, noted during the service, "In any other circumstance, this cathedral church would be full to overflowing, as living eloquent testimony of the number of people that Bernie has touched during his life".
But a pandemic had no hope of keeping the love, and the words, locked out.
In delivering the eulogy for their father, James Curran and his eldest sister Penny Curran-Peters, cited Latin words. After all, Dr Bernie Curran was passionate about Roman culture and was a lecturer in classics at the University of Newcastle for about 25 years.
James Curran referred to "humanitas, the pinnacle of all Roman virtues".
"The man who practised humanitas was confident of his worth, courteous to others, decent in his social conduct, and active in his political role," said Professor Curran, explaining it was a quality his father demonstrated daily from the moment he woke.
As Penny Curran-Peters recounted, Bernie provided "a shining, lasting example of a life lived for others", and he was a "fearless protector" of his three children.
"He taught us the value of developing an authentic connection with others, of joining the dots," she said.
"And we adored his daggy Dad humour ... As children the three of us gaped in awe as - we still don't know how it was done - he swallowed an entire banana whole."
So in their eulogy, the Curran siblings used funny words, including ones their father taught them. Words such as floccinaucinihilipilification, which means the action of estimating something as worthless. It is a word Bernie would have rarely used; everything had its own worth, in his estimation.
The richness of Bernie Curran's life was also held on a table beside his coffin. Among the precious items on that table was a slouch hat, reflecting his love of the Australian bush and interest in Australian military history at Gallipoli, a fishing rod, for he loved the water as well, stones from Burwood Beach, where he often walked, and a rugby ball and jersey.
A rugby tragic, Bernie Curran was the patron of the university's club.
Among the many unable to attend the funeral service because of the lockdown was Warren Watson, the president of the University of Newcastle Rugby Union Club.
Mr Watson said he was "extremely frustrated" that he and fellow club members couldn't be there but tried to see it as Bernie would.
"In the scheme of things, he wouldn't be frustrated, so we won't be," Mr Watson said.
The rugby club president said if there had been no restrictions, "we would have dearly loved to have lined the streets in our 'blood and bandages' (maroon and white) jerseys".
To the strains of the theme from Chariots of Fire, loved ones accompanied the coffin out of the church. Bernie was to be laid to rest in the cemetery at Wollombi, not far from his beloved bush property.
The university intends to work with the Curran family on a memorial service and will welcome the wider community's involvement.
In the void left by Bernie Curran's death, in the space that COVID demands, at least there are words and memories - and an extraordinary legacy.
As Penny Curran-Peters said of her father, "The record of his passage through life - those he touched, those he loved, those he inspired - will continue to inspire all those who choose to dedicate themselves to a life of service for many a year to come."
