Three weeks ago, on June 11, Mitchell Gaffney, a recent wedding, lost 10 of his best friends unexpectedly. The grieving process is ongoing.
Gaffney at last discussed the traumatic event that occurred during his “very loveable” friend Zachary Bray’s funeral, which happened in Sydney, Australia, yesterday, July 4.
Following a reception at Wandin Valley Estate, Bray and nine other friends from Gaffney died in a disaster near Greta in NSW’s Hunter Valley last month.
Thirty-five individuals were transported to and from Gaffney and Madeleine Edsell’s wedding via bus.
Bray, 29, was buried at Macquarie Park with honours befitting a beloved brother and son who triumphantly defeated colon cancer.
Gaffney used the occasion to honour his mate, whom he had first encountered while playing football with the Singleton Roosters in the Australian Football League.
He said, “Even though you’ll never get to wear the pinafore again, you’ll always be by our side.”
Gaffney also explained why Bray’s football teammates called him “Labrador” or “Lab” with fondness.
“He was referred to as the labrador, or lab, because they are incredibly lovable and affectionate dogs that always have a big silly smile on their faces,” Gaffney added.
Keeping up the football analogies, Gaffney described Bray as the ideal team player who “had the capacity to make everyone feel involved.”
“We are fortunate enough to have memories that we will always treasure,” he said in closing.
Friends, relatives, and loved ones attended Bray’s funeral and offered their condolences.
His girlfriend Georgie Copeland stated, “I can’t deny that my heart hurts.” However, I know how much it hurts because it was genuine.
The man’s mother, Jacqui Varasdi, continued, describing becoming a mother to Bray as her “greatest achievement.”
She said, “And to see you here, laying in this box, just doesn’t make any sense,” before playing their well-known song “You Are My Sunshine” as one last farewell.
“I remember the excitement in your voice and the broad smile on your face when you spoke excitedly about Mitch and Maddie’s wedding the day before you passed away.”
Adam, Bray’s father, also recalled his son, saying he had a “uniquely pure soul.”
He heard his father say, “Over and out,” as his final words. “May you rest in peace, my lovely son.”
The father recently spoke of how the bus had rolled over on its side, and he was trying to find his child when the cops stopped him.
“I told them that my child was on the bus, and they said, ‘If your son is on that bus, you don’t want to see him,'” he added.
The grieving dad said, “I simply broke down for an hour and sat on the ground, alone myself.
A few days after the June 13 disaster, the bus driver, Brett Andrew Button, was permitted to post bail. He was accused of 10 counts of careless driving that caused death and one count of reckless driving.
The fifty-eight-year-old will go before Newcastle Local Court on August 9.
Since then, more than AUD$1 million has been raised for the “Hunter Valley (NSW) Bus Tragedy Fund (RABS),” which was founded to provide relief and support to victims, survivors, and their close families of the horrific bus accident.
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