91-year-old Australian tourist’s final visit to India took an unexpected turn. But it was exactly what he wanted
Kolkata to Patna and was laid to rest in Munger City, Bihar. This was his 12th trip to India.
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Sams was among a group of 26 foreign tourists who embarked on a Ganga river cruise from Kolkata to Patna on February 10. Their voyage brought them to Babua Ghat in Munger on Friday night, but tragedy struck when Sams suddenly became unwell. He was rushed to a private hospital, where he passed away during treatment the following day. Doctors attributed his death to natural causes due to his advanced age.
Following his passing, the Munger district administration reached out to the Australian Embassy and consulted Sams’s family. With their consent, arrangements were made for his burial at a Christian cemetery in Munger. The burial took place under the supervision of District Officer Avnish Kumar Singh and the District Magistrate, with a priest conducting the Christian rites.
Sams’s wife, Aless, was present at the cemetery, where she offered soil and flowers on his grave as a final tribute. She shared that her husband had deep ties to India, particularly Assam, as her father had served as a British military officer there during colonial rule.
She revealed that Sams had made a specific request in his will to be buried in India, a country he deeply cherished. He had visited multiple times and had always expressed a strong desire to return to Assam. She said
