In the wide reaches of the echoes of Tankwa Town, where the sunsets scream across the sky in orange-gold, and the winds whisper of adventure, there’s a cacophony of voices, each weaving their unique ‘blah’ into the ongoing story that is AfrikaBurn. Amidst this symphony of chatter, there was a voice that blahed louder than all the rest; a voice filled with laughter, mischief and boundless love – the voice of our Sean Furlong.
If you were lucky enough to meet Sean in the vast expanse of the Binnekring, you’d be lucky enough to be enveloped in a warm embrace of acceptance. His laughter, a beacon of joy in the darkness, echoing across the dust, inviting all who heard it to join in the celebration of life and the revelry of ‘blah’.
Through trial and tribulation, Sean remained a strong companion to many – especially in the Department of Mutant Vehicles and the Botrivier Liberation Army – a pillar of support in times of hardship and the first person on your team when you felt alone. Whether stranded on the R355 or grappling with putting up your tent in the dark, Sean would be there talking, helping and making sure you were sorted before cracking some jokes, giving you a wry smile and heading into the next adventure on the Blah Blah Car.
In our moments of happiness, despair and cacophony, it was often Sean who was offering solace, strength, or just some good blah. And although Sean is no longer physically with us, the absolutely indelible blah he’s left in all our hearts ensures that we’ll be celebrating with him until the wee hours of the morning every night, a cherished Binnekring being that will never be forgotten.
So as we honour Sean’s memory, amidst the sputtering explosions of the Minikring (and with a memorial gathering during this year’s event), remember the stories, photographs, parties, blah and blah-blah that we shared, and embrace the mischievous spirit that defined him.
