Shoalhaven Council receive proposal for memorial plaque to honour Hunter Valley wedding bus crash victim Angus Craig

A memorial plaque has been proposed to remember a beloved NSW south coast local tragically killed in the horror Hunter Valley wedding bus crash.

A memorial has been proposed for Jervis Bay local Angus Craig. Picture: Supplied

A memorial for a son, brother and engineer tragically killed in a horror wedding bus crash could be installed in his NSW south coast home town.

Angus Craig was 28-years-old when he and nine other wedding guests were killed in the Hunter Valley bus crash on the night of June 11 2023.

Mr Craig, originally from Jervis Bay, was well-known in the Shoalhaven community according to his older sister Georgia, who previously described her late brother as a “special man”.

“He’s collected really close friends his entire life because he has this special way about him of opening up and being so genuine and honest,” she said.

More than a year on since the horrific crash, Mr Craig’s parents have requested Shoalhaven Council erect a memorial plaque in his hometown.

Angus Craig became an engineer in Queensland. Picture: Supplied

The funeral service for Mr Craig at the Shoalhaven Memorial Gardens. Picture: Monique Harmer

Council documents state the memorial seat and plaque would be installed at the Ilfracombe end of Collingwood Beach overlooking Jervis Bay.

Shoalhaven councillor Bob Proudfoot will present the plans for the plaque at council’s ordinary meeting on Tuesday.

He said Mr Craig’s parents wanted the memorial close to home so those who knew Mr Craig could pay their respects.

“The NSW Government has organised a memorial park with individual plaques near the crash site to honour the victims,” Mr Proudfoot said.

“The family has requested that something to remember 28-year-old old Angus by, be provided closer to home.”

Mr Proudfoot said the Jervis Bay community needed a memorial for the young man due to his notoriety in the small community.

Mr Craig grew up in Jervis Bay.

He said Mr Craig was a “much loved and widely respected young man” who was school captain at Sanctuary Point Public School, a Sea Cadet at HMAS Creswell and a member of the local sailing club.

“Angus Craig developed a great love and talent for kiteboarding, a sport in which he excelled, with Collingwood Beach being the ideal location to display his high level of skills,” Mr Proudfoot said.

“It is most fitting and certainly most appropriate, that the family’s request for the memorial seat be honoured and acted upon without delay.”

High school friend Jade Colligan described Mr Craig as a “beautiful man”.

Mr Craig was well known in the community.

Aerial scene from the site where ten people have died, and 11 people were hospitalised after a bus carrying wedding guests crashed in the Hunter Valley. Picture: Christian Gilles

“I’ll always remember a smart, genuine and caring guy who had the whole world ahead of him,” she said.

“He was such a beautiful person that made everyone around him better. This was a horrible tragedy that I hope never happens again.”

Another friend, Mekayla Burdfield, said she was heartbroken.

“I see your face all around me, recalling all the memories we had together with our amazing group of school friends,” she said.

“We were truly blessed to have shared those years together, and the degree to which you brightened our lives is immeasurable.”

Shoalhaven Council chief executive officer Robyn Stevens said the memorial request would need to meet standards set by the Plaques and Memorial Policy.

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