Penrith community creates memorial to Hoang family
RESIDENTS of Penrith and Blue Mountains have created a moving memorial for Katherine Hoang — who was heavily pregnant with twin boys — and a 17-year-old relative, who were killed in a carsh at Orchard Hills on Friday.
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THE loss of four lives in Orchard Hills last Friday has cut to the hearts of strangers as the Penrith and Blue Mountains community create a moving memorial for the victims.
Alleged unlicensed driver Richard Moananu, 29, has been charged with two counts of manslaughter after Katherine Hoang, 23, — who was heavily pregnant with twin boys — and a 17-year-old relative, were killed when their cars collided.
The next day members of the community began leaving tributes at the crash site.
Notes written by children, four timber crosses, a garden path light, twin stuffed toys and an array of floral bouquets have been laid by people — mostly strangers.
One note written by a child reads “Rest in peace”.
Warrimoo schoolteacher Danielle Mcloon has seen her fair share of horror crashes in the eight years as a NSW Police Force crash investigator. She drove to the memorial on Tuesday afternoon to leave a bouquet of red flowers.
“It’s just that feeling of, ‘not again’,” Ms Mcloon said.
“I’m a former crash investigator … so this is a very personal matter for me.”
Ms Mcloon said the tragedy was a timely reminder for all drivers to pay more attention while on the road.
“How many times have we all done things that were negligent?” she said.
“(They’re) not intentional. They just happened in a moment of time and we looked back … and had the blessing to be able to go ‘Wow, I’ve learned the error of my ways’. When life stops it doesn’t start again.”
Ms Mcloon said she felt for the alleged offender who has “a long road ahead of him”
“He’s a human being,” she said.
“He was a baby. He was a boy and now he’s a man.
“He has people that love him more than anything. He’s a factor in this too. I find it hard to believe that any human being would not really find it hard to deal with the enormity of their actions.
Glenmore Park mum Kristie Burke and her daughters Chloe, 14, and Hayley, 12, said they wanted to leave flowers to show “people care”.
“They are gone but not forgotten,” Ms Burke said.
“We don’t know them at all but the story has touched everyone.
“We can all sort of relate; we’ve all got family and children.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up for the family. More than $37,300 has already been raised by more than 700 people.
To make a donation visit https://www.gofundme.com/the-hoang-family
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