Christmas tears for the families of five friends killed at Buxton

For the families of five teenagers killed in the horrifying Buxton crash, the first Christmas without their cherished kids will be a whole new trial.

Samantha Trimarchi in the bedroom of her daughter Gabby McLennan who was one of the victims of the Buxton car crash that killed five teenage friends. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Mention Christmas to Samantha Trimarchi and the tears well in her eyes.

It used to be her favourite time, watching her home fill up with dozens of relatives and friends, the smell of a fresh pine tree and the chaos of present opening. Now she dreads it.

Christmas will mark almost four months since Ms Trimarchi lost her precious only daughter Gabby McLennan, 15, in a horror crash at Buxton, southwest of Sydney, which claimed the lives of five young friends.

“People ask what I’m doing for Christmas ... I’ll be at the graveyard,” Ms Trimarchi said.

Samantha Trimarchi has a memorial garden for her daughter Gabby McLennan at their home in Tahmoor. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Since the day of her daughter’s funeral, Ms Trimarchi has barely missed a day of driving 40-minutes each way to Leppington where Gabby is buried.

“It’s just crap. Every morning you wake up feeling sick in the stomach. The feeling never goes away,” Ms Trimarchi said.

“I try and go to the shops before 3pm when school’s out because it kills me seeing the Picton High uniform.”

Her fear of the festive season is shared among the other parents, too, whose teenagers died in the tragic crash on September 6.

Lisa Williams whose daughter Summer, 14, was the last one to get into the ute driven by Bargo man Tyrell Edwards, 18, says she feels “ripped off”.

Her youngest of four children left the house at 7.37pm to walk to the nearby Woolworths to get cold meat for her school lunch the next day.

Samantha Trimarchi with her son Ronnan McLennan in Gabby’s bedroom which is now a shrine to the much-loved girl. Picture: Jonathan Ng

By 7.53pm she was dead, after getting picked up by the group who saw her out walking.

“None of my kids want to celebrate Christmas now, we feel so ripped off not having her here,” Ms Williams said.

Summer Williams, 14, was walking to the supermarket to buy her lunch for the next day when she got into the ute being driven by Tyrell Edwards.

Summer’s heartbroken mother said she had never had any trouble from her teenage daughter.

Gabby, Summer, their friend Lily Van de Putte, 15, and mates Antonio Desisto, 16, and Tyrese Bechard, 16, all died when the ute they were passengers in lost control on East Parade just before 8pm and slammed into two trees.

“My Summer had never put a foot wrong. This was her first mistake, I’d never had a problem with her, but she got in that car and it’s cost her life,” Ms Williams said.

Gabriella McLennan, 15, died in the tragic crash at Buxton. Picture: Supplied by family

Going to the shops also rattles Ms Williams.

“Seeing young girls shopping, Summer had just started to get into that, it’s so hard,” she said.

For Lily’s dad John Van de Putte, Christmas represents yet another special day without his youngest child.

“It will probably all hit me on Christmas Day ... I’m not dreading it yet but I know it won’t be an easy time,” he said.

John Van de Putte at his home in Tahmoor with a mural painted by his daughter Lily before she died in the crash. Picture:. John Feder/The Australian.

Wollondilly Shire Council mayor Matt Gould said the community had rallied around the victims’ families, and that support would continue for as long as they needed it.

“The community has really pulled together and looked out for each other, as we always do in difficult times ” he said.

John Van de Putte palces a hand on his daughter’s coffin at her funeral. Picture: Chris Dyson

Edwards, who is on bail and will spend Christmas with his family at their Bargo home, will face court again on February 10.

Originally published as Christmas tears for the families of five friends killed at Buxton