Bonds of life and death

By Rebecca Fraser
JOHN and Maria Bastinac lived for one another and let nothing get in the way of their love – not even death.
Son Peter Bastinic of Narre Warren this week described the pair as inseparable and said they spent most of their 58 year marriage side by side.
Three years ago Mrs Bastinac was diagnosed with cancer and the loving pair, who have called Dandenong home for the past 30 years, battled the disease together.
Son Peter said his father remained forever optimistic that they would beat the disease.
However, John’s health also began to deteriorate recently and the 86-year-old was admitted to hospital with high blood pressure.
The couple was forced to spend a week apart due to their illnesses with Maria in the palliative care ward of Berwick’s Casey Hospital and John receiving treatment at Dandenong Hospital.
Peter said his dad was awake and dressed by 4am the first morning they took him to visit his wife.
“When he visited her he said ‘this is it, I will stay here forever’. He did not want to go back,” Mr Bastinac said.
Mr Bastinac then suffered a fractured hip.
He underwent surgery on Father’s Day but did not recover from the anaesthetic. He died on Wednesday, 6 September.
Less than a day later, his life partner died, too.
Mr Bastinac said his 78-year-old mother had slipped into unconsciousness shortly after receiving news her husband had died and never woke again.
He said his father had always said he would find it a struggle to go on without his wife.
“Mum never spoke about it, but dad said as soon as mum was gone he wanted to go with her,” Mr Bastinac said.
The pair was fittingly buried in the same plot at a funeral which was due to take place yesterday (Wednesday) – an arrangement the couple had made a decade ago.
While obviously deeply saddened by their loss, Mr Bastinac said the family was pleased that the pair would continue to always be together.
“As sad as it is, they’re happy and they would not want it any other way,” he said.
“They were very private people. Mum would have been embarrassed by this (story), but dad would have loved it,” he said.
The pair met in post-war Germany in 1948 and moved to Australia the following year. They are survived by three children and four grandchildren.