Families, Friends, Community and Emergency Services Remembered

Families, friends, community, emergency services and Council staff gathered outside the Royal Hotel on November 5th to honour and remember the lives forever changed by the tragic accident in the parklands adjacent to the Hotel last year.

The commemoration offered a moment of reflection, bringing together those who are forever joined by the tragedy. People who attended heard heartfelt tributes from many, placed wreaths in memorial and took a minute of silence honouring those impacted by that day. Many people in the local community and family and friends of those killed or injured continue to carry the memories of that day and will forever after.

Bradley Thomas, Hepburn Shire Council CEO, said, “Today’s commemoration paid respect to the profound loss experienced by many, but also the incredible courage showed on that day to be there for those in their suffering. Their compassion and care for those in need in those moments means more than any words or tributes could ever express.”

“We hope that today, by coming together, we can honour the memory of those we have lost. It is our hope that today’s gathering brings a sense of healing and solidarity to those who continue to carry the memory of this tragedy. We have the deepest respect and condolences to all who continue to feel the impact of this tragedy and our gratitude to those who have supported them.”

CFA Captain Glenn Webster, who was among the first responders on the scene thanked the members of the emergency services who responded. He spoke of the individuals in the Victoria Police, the Ambulance Service the CFA and the SES who responded to the emergency professionally and without hesitation. He praised the doctors and nurses from Daylesford Hospital and Springs Medical who rushed to help and he praised people in the local community who displayed courage and compassion. “They are ordinary people who displayed extraordinary character,” he said. “Bravery is defined by one’s actions, the bravery it takes to run towards something while others are running away.”

Captain Webster also had a message for the families of the victims and the injured. “Words cannot assuage the pain of loss you are feeling but I want you to know that in those terrifying, chaotic minutes your loved ones were not alone,” he said. “They were here with us. They were here with us as we comforted them, cared for them and treated them. They were not alone. They and you will forever remain a part of the extended family of this community.”

Hepburn Shire Council has produced a commemorative plaque which lists all of the emergency services personnel who responded on November 5, 2023. The plaque hangs in the CFA station in Daylesford.