Tattoos put dead dad in the frame

Whittaker with three of his father's tattoos

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MACKAY, Australia -- An Australian man has shown that his love for his father was more than just skin deep by having his dad's tattoos removed, preserved and framed.

Carl Whittaker, from the rural Queensland town of Mackay, has four of the tattoos hanging on his dining room wall, Australian Associated Press reports.

Whittaker says the unusual memento –which includes a large eagle tattoo which took up most of his dad's back -- was his father's wish.

He said his father had the tattoos done while he was being treated for cancer and he had requested they be preserved in his will.

"The people that know me just know it was out of respect for my old man, because he wasn't just my old man -- he was my best mate," Whittaker is quoted as saying.

Before his father died in 1999, Whittaker found a taxidermist willing to remove the tattoos and a company willing to tan them.

The dead father's eagle tattoo taken from his back

"I thought it was a bit on the wild side myself," he said.

"But that's what he wanted, and I had a lot of respect for the man, so I did it. I suppose it preserves his memory.

"It's one of those things he got in his head, and he wanted it done. Once it's in his head you couldn't get it out, he was that kind of bloke."

Whittaker said his wife did not object, and he hoped to pass the memorial on to his daughter, who is now 15 months old, Australian Associated Press reported.

Whittaker, 31, admits reactions to the memento are mixed.

"You've got your fors and against, and a lot of people are quite horrified by it all -- they look and say 'Oh my God."'

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