In life Geoffrey Edelsten was all glitz and glamour. Today the colourful businessman was buried in a simple pine box surrounded by friends who remembered him as 'kind and trusting'
- Geoffrey Edelsten was buried in an intimate ceremony on Wednesday
- The 78-year old died alone on Friday inside his Melbourne apartment
- Edelsten was remembered as a kind and caring doctor and medical pioneer
- One mourner said Edelsten was taken advantage of due to his trusting nature
- Edeslten was described as an 'enigma' and a man of 'mystery, truth and colour'
Colourful businessman Geoffrey Edelsten has been buried in a pine box during a traditional Jewish ceremony in Melbourne.
It was a simple farewell attended by just over 30 mourners, who gathered at his plot on Wednesday within the Jewish gardens of the Springvale Botanical Cemetery - southeast of Melbourne.
In life, Edelsten thrived on flaunting his enormous wealth, which he had achieved in the 1980s through revolutionising the way Australians visited the doctor.
Largely known in his later years for his marriages to American beauties Brynne Gordon and Gabi Grecko, Edelsten was surrounded by just a handful of his closest friends and family.
Geoffrey Edelsten takes his final trip at his funeral in Melbourne on Wednesday
Goeffrey Edelsten is lowered into the ground in a simple pine casket
Edelsten was remembered as a kind and caring doctor who was polite to everyone he met
Edelsten was found dead in his St Kilda Road apartment on Friday afternoon.
He had died alone after disappearing from the public spotlight he had embraced for much of his 78 years.
While there was speculation Edelsten would be sent off in a lavish affair, he ultimately was put to rest in a quiet and dignified service in line with his Jewish beliefs.
The doctor, who was jailed in 1990 for perverting the course of justice and soliciting Christopher 'Mr Rent-a-Kill' Dale Flannery to assault a former patient, was remembered for his kindness.
Edelsten had made his millions back in the 1980s after developing a medical computer system that revolutionised the industry.
His innovative and multi-disciplinary 24-hour medical centres would make him even richer.
Edelsten became a household name in 1985 when he bought the Sydney Swans AFL football team.
Just five years later he was jailed over the Flannery scandal.
Two of his closest and longest friends paid tribute to Edelsten at today's service.
Edeslten makes his final journey to his grave site on Wednesday
Mourners took turns to throw dirt onto Geoffrey Edelsten's casket on Wednesday
Mourners gave Geoffrey Edelsten a traditional Jewish farewell on Wednesday in Melbourne
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One man, only identified as Mike, said he would keep his words brief due to the reporters lurking about within earshot.
He had met Edelsten 35 years ago and was instantly impressed with his friend's dedication to medicine.
'The patients always came first,' he told mourners.
He described Edelsten as being 'before his time' in the innovations he introduced to the Australian medical industry.
The pair had both lived in Carlton where they religiously watched their beloved Blues football team play.
'I was impressed by way he treated people with the utmost respect,' he said.
Edelsten was painted as a trusting man, whom others would take advantage of.
'He did himself no favours,' the friend said.
He described Edelsten as 'a doer'.
'Never a follower,' he said.
Geoffrey Edelsten was described as a 'doer, never a follower'
Gabi Grecko and Geoffrey Edelsten attend the 2014 Brownlow Medal
Mourners embrace at the funeral for Geoffrey Edelsten on Wednesday
Another close friend, David, described Edelsten as a true 'enigma'.
While it was a title used by Edelsten for his own book, his friend said it was apt.
'He was an enigma even to those that knew him. It summed him up,' he said.
An old school mate of Edelsten, described him as a leader from the get go.
Mourners heard Edelsten was the cricket and footy captain, school captain and a prefect.
A colleague from Sydney who worked with Edelsten in the 70s praised him for revolutionising the way doctors communicated with one another.
He described Edelsten as a man of 'mystery, truth and colour'.
Edelsten was remembered for arriving at car yards with a cheque book and walking out with sports cars.
'Debts were an inconvenience,' his friend said.
Brynne and Geoffrey Edelsten in 2012
Mourners bury Geoffrey Edelsten after his service on Wednesday
It is a great honour in the Jewish faith to help bury a loved one
His friend David said the side of Edelsten seen on television and newspapers was but one side of him.
'You know so much of the other parts of his life. Others can judge, but I want to remember him as quietly spoken, polite, good company, loyal, intelligent, a good listener, respectful and above all a warm and engaging human being,' he said.
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