Mourners farewell Sea World chopper pilot at Gold Coast service
An emotional tribute from the partner of Sea World pilot Ash Jenkinson has been read to his funeral on the Gold Coast, mourners told her heart was broken at the ‘loss of my present and future with this man’.
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The widow of Sea World helicopter crash pilot Ash Jenkinson has revealed their heartbreaking last words to each other during a packed funeral service for the beloved pilot.
Mourners wearing formal black attire gathered on the Gold Coast to farewell Mr Jenkinson, who was killed in last week’s Sea World chopper crash.
Hundreds packed the Southport Church of Christ on Friday to say their final goodbyes to Mr Jenkinson, who died in the disaster alongside British tourists Ron and Diane Hughes and Sydney woman Vanessa Tadros.
Everything we know about the chopper crash
Mr Jenkinson, 40, who was chief pilot with Sea World Helicopters, left behind his partner, Kosha Richardson-Johnson, and toddler son Kayden, who was born in September 2021.
Mourners were asked to come dressed in formal black attire and most did.
In a heartbreaking eulogy read out to mourners, Kosha said: “We’re here today to celebrate the love of my life and the man I hoped to grow old with”.
“When we met it was like the world stood still,” she said.
She said Mr Jenkinson was “always a true gentleman” who would cook her dinner and bring her flowers during their courtship, and became “best friends” with her dog Doug.
She said a psychic had told her before they met: “All I can see is a helicopter and a man who flies in it and he’s going to love you forever.”
She said Ash had promised her the “perfect home” and “worked tirelessly” to provide it.
The birth of their son Kayden was “the highlight of his life” and he was a hands-on dad who happily changed nappies and did night feeds.
“Days with his family made his heart feel full,” she said.
“My heart is broken with the loss of my present and future with this man.”
“He was vocal with his appreciation … so much so that I’d say: ‘Shut up Ash, I’ve heard that 10 times today!” she said.
In a heartbreaking twist, she revealed the last trip with Ashley and their son was to Bunnings, where she kissed him goodbye “like it was the last day, everyday, just in case it was.”
The last thing they said to each other was: “I love you.”
“My heart is broken with the loss of my present and future with this man - the man who made me laugh, cry, smile secretly and plan a future as a wife and mother,” she said.
Mr Jenkinson’s white casket was adorned with flowers, and photos of him, partner Kosha and a baby Kayden were beamed on the big screen.
In an heart-wrenching moment, Kayden came up on stage with a dummy in his mouth as the eulogies began and was scooped up by Mr Jenkinson’s brother Blaze.
His other brother, Miles, told the service that Ash was a “superhero” who “towered above us in every way”.
He said Ash was “an over-achiever who always wanted to strive”, a man who loved to tinker and a larrikin who “lived his life to the fullest every single day.
“He lived his life to the fullest every single day. He was loving, kind and strong and loyal and dedicated to his family.
Miles said Ash’s partner Kosha “completed him in every way”.
Media were excluded from the service, but the family released a statement thanking the community “for the support it has shown during this incredibly difficult time for our family”.
“We understand there is a huge degree of interest from the community and, while we understand and appreciate this, Ashley’s funeral service will be private and by invitation only,” they said.
“We wish to have our privacy respected so that everyone attending can say goodbye and grieve in peace. We will not be speaking publicly.
“Ashley was much-loved and we are understandably devastated and struggling to come to terms with his passing.”
It comes as four New Zealand tourists who survived the Sea World helicopter crash on the Gold Coast have expressed their sympathies to Mr Jenkinson’s family.
Mr Jenkinson, 40, was one of four people killed in the crash when two Sea World joy flight choppers collided mid-air over the Southport Broadwater on January 2.
The crash also claimed the lives of British tourists Ron and Diane Hughes and Sydney woman Vanessa Tadros.
Auckland couples Elmarie and Riaan Steenberg and Marle and Edward Swart were in the chopper which the other pilot, Michael James, managed to land safely on a sandbank.
They suffered injuries including serious shrapnel wounds but were released from hospital and returned home to NZ.
In a statement, the Kiwis said they “want to express our deepest sympathies and sincere condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Ashley Jenkinson today”.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with you, and our hearts and beings are still terribly saddened for your loss,and so to the families of Ron and Diane Hughes, and Vanessa Tadros,” they said.
“We mourn with you today as you lay Ashley to rest, and hope you can find comfort in all the good memories you had with him.
“We will never be able to share your pain, all we can do is pray, and ask for strength and comfort to get through this ordeal.”
Mrs Tadros’s funeral will be held in Sydney on Monday.
Her son Nicholas, 10, remains in a critical but stable condition in Queensland Children’s Hospital.
A relative confirmed Nicholas, “is getting better, his lungs are functioning again,” following a mammoth six-hour surgery on Tuesday.
Other survivors, Leon de Silva, 9, and his mother Winnie, remain in a stable condition in hospital.
“We continue to pray for Nicholas, Leon and Winnie as they are still in hospital recovering from their injuries,” the Steenbergs and Swarts said.
“We would also like to thank everyone who has helped with our return home to make it as comfortable as possible, and for all your prayers and comforting messages.
“You will never know how much it means to us.
Only time will heal the pain, and you are always in our thoughts.”
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