Hundreds paid their respects as Caerphilly legend Gary Rees was laid to rest. Mourners lined Cardiff Road in the town centre as a funeral cortege passed through displaying pictures of Gary and loved ones.
The hugely popular doorman and lorry driver was badly injured in Oakdale on July 4 when a HGV driver travelling on the wrong side of a road hit his lorry head-on. The 55-year-old dad was able to leave hospital the next day and appeared to be recovering over the following weeks. We interviewed Gary on July 28 about his experience, but that night he died suddenly at home. The cause is yet to be confirmed.
Horns blared from a long string of lorries — including HGVs from Gary's employer DHL — in the procession on Thursday morning as it headed through Caerphilly before reaching Bedwas rugby club. The several hundred mourners far outnumbered the club's seats so most stood to watch the powerful service, which took place on the grass pitch-side with Gary's coffin draped in a Wales flag.
