Harry Greaves: Friend so happy he knew 'humble' Shropshire backpacker

Today Mr Boon shared his favourite memories of Harry spanning over their 15-year friendship, as well as paying an emotional tribute to his dear friend following his burial this week.

Harry, who died in Peru last month, had been staying in a community house in the country with Mr Boon and his fiancée Stefanie Jackson prior to his body being found in the mountains.

Mr Boon, 29, and originally from the Gledrid, near Oswestry, described Harry as "an old man in a 28-year-old's body".

"Harry was a very old soul, by that he was caring," he said.

"He was always a role model to me because of the way he handled situations.

"You would never see Harry upset or angry, and you'd never hear him say a bad word about another person."

Mr Greaves, of Bronygarth, near Oswestry, was last seen on April 7 when he set out on a solo mountain hike, two days before his 29th birthday.

His body was found at the bottom of a 40-metre crevasse on April 19.

Mr Boon said Harry wanted to play a part in combatting the world's problems and alleviating the suffering of others.

"One of my favourite memories of Harry was the morning after a rave when the night before people had thrown cans and bottles in a pond nearby, so Harry took it upon himself to strip off and get all these cans out. That was Harry.

"Harry would always look for a deeper meaning, he'd always been that way," he said.

"He was certainly far along in his spiritual path already but so grounded and very humble. He was patient, compassionate and very tolerant. He was always a role model to me because of the way he handled situations.

"Harry was my best friend for sure, although about a dozen other people would also say the same thing because Harry connected with so many people."

Last Saturday, Harry's loved ones came together to bury him in a garden next to Harry's family home in Bronygarth.

Mr Boon, 29, described the intimate service as "really beautiful", which incorporated the Peruvian tradition of Munay-Ki, which are rites of initiation which heal and transform the human energy field into that of a transcended light being, which Harry had studied for around three years prior to his death. An oak tree was also planted over Harry's grave.

Explaining the significance of this, Mr Boon said: "I told Harry about a funeral procedure the L'nu people of Ometepe in Nicaragua have where the recently passed become a tree. The body is placed into the foetal position in a large clay pot, then for nine days, they plant a different seed of a different tree.

"Eventually one of the trees takes root and grows to be a place of memorial for that person, and traditionally after 81 years, the tree would be cut down and a ceremony would be held to release the last of the life force which was passed on through the tree.

"After sharing this story with Harry, he turned to me and said – 'yes I think I'd like to be an oak tree'."

Shortly before Harry's death, Mr Boon said the pair had talked about the subject. "We used to talk at this same spot everyday about everything, the projects we were involved in, and in fact we did talk about death, the meaning, the processes, it was interesting," he said.

"I asked Harry how he'd feel if he passed tomorrow, and he said he still had a lot to do," said Mr Boon. "He said that there were a lot of problems in the world, that he wanted to be a part of regenerating and helping others."

Harry flew to Peru on February 20 and was visiting friends in Pisac, near Cusco.

His friends and family, assisted by the Lucie Blackman Trust, had launched a search of the area by land and helicopter in a desperate bid to find him.

Harry's mother Sarah and cousin Lucy flew to Peru to help Mr Boon and Miss Jackson co-ordinate the search.

"Stef organised a lot of it, but sadly the police there and the British Embassy really didn't do enough," he said. "It was the volunteers and the indigenous people who were brilliant.

"Even though there was this urgency, our love for Harry drove us all forward. It kept us focussed and grounded.

Although the grieving process "comes in waves", Mr Boon said it's the happiness of knowing Harry which stays with him. "There has been deep, deep grieving but there has also been the happiness, the gratitude, and the appreciation that I knew him. What a gift it was to know that man."