"Truly remarkable": Outpouring of love for orphaned infants of bus crash victims
Generous Australians have opened their hearts and wallets to show their support for the two orphaned children of Andrew and Lynan Scott.
The Scotts were onboard the bus that crashed in the Hunter Valley and were killed, along with eight others, leaving behind two sons, aged two and four.
Since the devastating crash, family friends Sean and Paula Mewing set up a GoFundMe page for the young boys from Singleton in northern NSW, with the staggering sum reaching almost $300,000 in just over a week.
The page's stated goal was $300,000 to 'to assist in providing ongoing support for the sons' of the Scotts, with more than 2,300 donations making up a total sum of $287,000.
Despite the page almost reaching the target, the families of Andrew and Lynan said the page would "remain open in weeks, months and years ahead" to "support these boys in any endeavour they wish to pursue".
In an update posted on Sunday, the families of Andrew and Lynan thanked page visitors for "all the love and support you all have shown in the past week either via donations and/or messages on this page, it is truly remarkable."
In the messages section, tributes flowed from friends, family and colleagues of the deceased couple.
"I worked with Andrew and he was one of the most genuinely sweet men I’ve ever met," one person wrote.
"We were usually the first 2 there in the morning and he always had a happy smile and a hello for me! He won’t be forgotten."
Another said, "Thank you Lynan and Andrew for being part of my life and sharing your family with me."
"I will be forever grateful that our paths crossed. We hope to be there to support the boys in the years to come. Much love to their families now and forever."
Image credits: GoFundMe