Memorial tributes: Grieving Melbourne dad’s road safety plea after death of wife and daughter

A GRIEVING dad has made an impassioned plea for his wife and daughter’s deaths to serve as a road safety reminder as 1500 mourners farewelled the “beautiful” pair.

Funeral for car crash victims Xinyu Yuan and mother Ma Li Dai at the Lighthouse Christian College in Cranbourne East. Picture: Jay Town

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A GRIEVING dad has made an impassioned plea for his wife and daughter’s deaths to serve as a road safety reminder to other drivers.

Lynbrook man Zheng Quan Yuan told a packed school hall the state government should act quickly to improve the conditions on the road where the lives of his “angel” Xinyu and Mei-Li were tragically cut short ten days ago.

“I don’t know how I will get through the days ahead of me,” Mr Yuan said.

“In the face of a car crash, life seems so fragile.

“Nothing can bring them back ... no matter how many tears I shed.”

Schoolchildren, police and dignitaries formed the 1500-strong crowd which gathered around Mr Yuan, his son Jake and their Chinese relatives in the moving funeral service at Lighthouse Christian College in Cranbourne today.

“I hope their sad story can bring attention to the importance of road safety and the dangers of drinking and speeding,” Mr Yuan said.

“I hope our council, government and VicRoads ... will take this incident very seriously and quickly reduce the speed limit and install traffic lights so that this tragedy doesn’t repeat itself in another family.”

Xinyu Yuan and Ma Li Dai were killed in a fatal car crash in East Cranbourne 9/8/17

Zheng Quan Yuan made his plea while delivering the eulogy. Picture: Jay Town

Cards and flowers at the service. Picture: Jay Town

Yr8 classmates of Xinyu sing at a memorial service for their "angel" friend & her mum Mei-Li who were killed in a road crash at Cranbourne pic.twitter.com/PKIug5lXux

— Andrea Hamblin (@AndieHamblin) August 21, 2017

Mei-Li, 44, and 14-year-old Xinyu were killed in a car crash as they pulled out from the entrance of the school onto the South Gippsland Highway.

They had spent the evening of August 9 at parent-teacher interviews where Xinyu had received glowing praise.

Her year 8 teacher Teresa Simon told mourners today that the memory of the “radiant” smiles on the faces of mother and daughter that night would always be etched in her mind.

“I pointed out to (Mei Li) Xinyu’s exemplary character qualities,” Mrs Simon said.

“Xinyu was patiently interpreting to her mum all this in Chinese.

“Mei Li expressed that she thought her daughter is shy and she wanted her to grow in confidence.

“I looked at Xinyu and I said ‘Xinyu, I want to hear more of your voice in class’.”

But moments after the interviews, tragedy would strike. The pair pulled out of the school driveway in the family Toyota and were struck by an oncoming Holden.

At the funeral service, photographs of the pair showed a smiling and happy family with their arms around each other, mum and daughter dressed brightly and fresh-faced, beaming at the camera.

Xinyu's classmates sang during the service. Picture Jay Town

Xinyu’s school backpack full of books, a diary and colourful badges were a reminder of the young life lost.

Wearing ribbons in her favourite colour purple, classmates remembered a sweet, vibrant and “soft-hearted” Xinyu, who was shy but had a powerful soccer kick.

They lamented that it took a tragedy for them to realise the true value of their friendship.

“You truly were an angel,” one girl said.

Mei-Li, who worked as a packager for a promotional company, was described as a devoted mother and dedicated staff member.

“I was deeply touched by her soft heart, honesty and love,” said her boss, Jack Xu.

Condolence cards at the service. Picture Jay Town

Tears flowed as mourners prayed, but they were uplifted, too, by hymns led by Xinyu’s classmates and the choir from the family church, Trinity Methodist Church.

Reverend Scott Ang told the devastated friends and family they would be reunited in Heaven with the mother and daughter, who believed in everlasting love and eternal life.

Church leaders said the way Xinyu and Mei-Li lived should be an example to all.

“Let us live our lives meaningfully, and let us place emphasis on family ... live happily and joyfully,” Rev Ang said.

School administrators and the local community in Cranbourne East had been campaigning for the 100km speed limit outside the school to be dropped, amid a series of crashes and near misses, before the fatal crash which claimed Xinyu and Mei-Li’s lives.

The school plans to establish a foundation in Xinyu’s name to raise awareness of road safety.