When the news broke on Saturday that Aussie racing legend and tyre magnate Bob Jane had passed away, it was his children with second wife Laree, Courtney, Charlotte and Robert, who released a statement to the media about their grief.
But now, on the day his funeral is allegedly scheduled to take place, Bob’s older daughter Karen Jane has revealed that she, her brother Rodney and some other close family members, have been kept in the dark about where and when the service is set to take place.
Speaking to Neil Mitchell on 3AW on Friday, she told the radio host that she didn’t know the location of her father’s official funeral, despite being aware that it was taking place at 10.30am on Friday, claiming that funeral directors have been told not to share the information with anyone else.
She said: “My uncle rang me on Wednesday afternoon and told me that there’s going to be a private funeral for Laree Jane and her children and close friends. Which is very disappointing and very saddening.
“My father’s body will be at one, and we don’t know where that is. The funeral directors have been told that no one else is to know where it is. There’s not really much we can do about it.”
Read more: Racing legend Bob Jane has passed away at the age of 88.
Karen also told the radio jockey that she “hasn’t been able to see her dad for a couple of years”, adding: “We have arranged to have a private memorial today in Brunswick. Instead of being terribly, terribly upset about it, we are going to spend the time together today and remember him. Bill Jane [Bob’s younger bother] and his family, and my brother Rodney, will be there today.”
Bob’s death was confirmed in a family statement, released via the AAP last week, in which his children Courtney, Charlotte and Robert paid tribute to their “loving dad”, who passed away following a long battle with cancer.
“After a long and brave fight with prostate cancer, he passed away last evening at 88 years of age, surrounded by his loving family,” the moving statement read. “It was our privilege to have had him as our dad, whom we loved and cherished. We will miss him deeply and he will forever be in our hearts.
“Whilst dad was an Australian icon and champion of the community, most importantly to us he was our loving dad.”
Despite his iconic history as a race car champion, Bob made headlines in recent years due to the ongoing financial feud with his son Rodney – who was not mentioned in the family’s statement, along with Bob’s daughter Karen and late daughter Georgina.
In 2016, Bob was forced to file for bankruptcy after struggling to pay off a huge amount of debt he’d racked up during the bitter dispute with Rodney, who took over the family’s iconic tyre business in 2006.
The pair had been fighting for control of the family’s wealth for several years, with the former race car driver launching several unsuccessful court actions. He resigned as the chairman of T-marts in 2011, citing difficulties in the relationship with his son.
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