'Aussie hero' Private Ranaudo farewelled

Family, friends and dignitaries have remembered the life of Private Benjamin
Ranaudo, described by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd as "an Australian hero".
Private Ranaudo, the 11th Australian soldier to be killed in Afghanistan, was buried
on Friday in Melbourne in a private ceremony.

He was killed by a bomb on July 18.
Mourners at the Springvale Botanical Cemetery were told of 22-year-old's love for
his family, and of the dedication, professionalism and sacrifice he showed as a
soldier.
Mr Rudd read a prayer and gave his condolences to Pte Ranaudo's family.
"We regard him as an Australian hero," he told mourners.
Defence Minister John Faulkner said Pte Ranaudo would never be forgotten.
"Ben's sacrifice and dedication will never be forgotten. He gave his life serving
his country," Senator Faulkner said.
Earlier this week, Pte Ranaudo's girlfriend Haylee McCarthy posted a message to him
on his Facebook page, saying she won't stop crying for a long time.
"There isn't a second that goes by that you aren't on my mind bub," she wrote.
"Hasn't been a day I haven't cried and I don't think there will be any tear-free
days for damn long time - just wish I could wake up from this and fast forward to
February next year and see you walk off the plane in Townsville.
"Love you so so so so so so so much."
Pte Ranaudo's family have described him as a proud soldier who believed in what he did.
"He was a son, a brother, a comrade, a life partner," the family said in a statement
earlier this week.
Pte Ranaudo, a member of the Mentor and Reconstruction Task Force, died on July 18
when a Taliban-improvised explosive device detonated while he was conducting an
operation in southern Afghanistan.