Funeral held for four Hervey Bay children killed in crash

The four children, all aged below 7, were killed alongside their mother last month after a fiery crash near Kingaroy.

AT the front of a funeral chapel, a row of white coffins behind him, the sobbing grandfather of the four McLeod children tried to find the words that would honour their short lives.

“They’re not gone,” he said, his hand on his heart. “They’re going to last forever. Forever in our hearts, forever in our minds and forever in my dreams.”

Friends, family, churchgoers, school teachers, child care workers and members of the Rural Fire Service came together today to farewell four children killed in a horror crash now being investigated as a murder suicide.

Aaleyn, 6, Matilda, 5, Wyatt, 4 and Zaidok, 2, were remembered at a funeral ceremony at Hervey Bay. Picture: John Wilson

Aaleyn, 6, Matilda, 5, Wyatt, 4 and Zaidok, 2, were killed when a car driven by their mother, Charmaine Harris McLeod, hit head on with a truck near Kingaroy on the evening of May 27.

“I sat at home thinking, what can I say?” grandfather Max said at the children’s funeral today.

“Aaleyn, the bossy little one. And Wyatt, playing cards. Matilda, the cheeky one but the neatest one. If anything wasn’t tidied up, she was the one coming along putting it all away.

“Zaidok — what a strong little bugger. Fell down the stairs a couple of times, he’d get up and smile.

“Their spirit lives on inside of me. Forever.”

The children’s father, James, was comforted by friends and family as representatives from the family’s church led the service.

Bayside Christian Church Pastor Ross Davies told friends and family it was time to put aside any regrets they might have over what happened.

“If only I’d hugged them one more time or if I’d told them … we all have those regrets or those questions.

“I’m going to encourage you as, as much as you’re able, to say, I’m going to leave some of that here.

“(To say) I don’t want them to torment my life and overwhelm me for too long.

“And even asking God to forgive us for things we could have said or should have said to the family or weren’t quite sure what to do.

“We can leave those here for today.”

The crash, which occurred on Monday 27 May 2019, was described by emergency responders as one of the most horrific they had ever seen. Picture: ABC News

Kawungan State School principal Mark Jones said students from Aaleyn and Matilda’s classes had gathered on the oval following their deaths to release balloons bearing the girls’ names.

“They were really, really great kids,” he said.

“This year Matilda met a special guest — the Easter bunny.

“Matilda and all her friends in prep stood in a circle and sang songs and high-fived the Easter bunny. The smile on her face was one of joy and a sense of wonder.

Early on the same day, Aaleyn had dressed up in a beautiful Easter bonnet — and like her sister, sang songs.”

Mr Jones said his favourite memory of Aaleyn was her refusal to dress up as a pirate — despite loving dress ups.

“That simply wasn’t her style,” he said.

“Instead, Aaleyn decided to dress up as a cat. Her thinking was that every one of her pirate friends should have a cat to play with.”

Charmaine McLeod and her four children Ally, 6, Matilda, 5, Zaidok, 2, and Wyatt, 4. Picture: Facebook.

A montage of photographs of the four children were played on a screen in the chapel as Somewhere Over the Rainbow and Let it Go were played.

Children described as “full of life” were pictured playing at the beach, helping their father wash the car, listening as he played guitar, dressed in costume and with their faces painted.

Pr Davies urged those in the chapel to find a place in their heart to store unanswered questions.

From left to right, Wyatt, Ally, Zaidok and Matilda. Picture: Facebook.

Originally published as Funeral held for four Hervey Bay children killed in crash