‘Wayne loved his son dearly’: Fury as dad laid to rest next to ‘murdered’ son

A father and son killed in a suspected murder-suicide will be farewelled together - but grieving locals in the tight-knit community are furious about the arrangement.

Grieving locals in a tight-knit community have been left heartbroken over the decision to bury a 15-year-old boy alongside the man suspected of killing him in a horrific murder-suicide.

The bodies of Noah Smith, 15, and his father Wayne, 58, were found inside their family home in Yamba, on NSW’s north coast, on June 1 after a relative raised the alarm.

It’s understood Mr Smith shot his son as he lay on his bed before turning the weapon on himself.

Their joint funeral will begin at 10am today as speculation emerges that some locals in the coastal tourist town are furious the pair are being farewelled together.

“Tomorrow a beautiful young boy will be laid to rest with his father who killed him,” one Yamba local wrote on social media.

“Many locals are not attending the funeral as they believe it should be separated.

“They hate that they just can’t say goodbye to the son alone.”

The man said he respected the family’s decision, but revealed some locals were “adamant” they would be boycotting the funeral.

“No one is actually fighting and everyone is respectful. They just won’t go to the funeral.”

Wayne Smith took the life of his 15-year-old son Noah Smith before committing suicide. Picture: Supplied

The pair’s funeral notice described it as a “tragic time”.

“Son of Tammy (Noah). Son of Glenda (Wayne). Dearly loved,” the notice began.

“Whilst this is a tragic tie in our lives, we wish to invite the entire community to come together to celebrate the life of beautiful Noah with his wonderful zest for life, and his father Wayne, who loved his son dearly.”

One local woman shared on social media that a group of local teens took their tinnies up river on sunrise in honour of their mate Noah.

“It was incredibly moving this morning watching several young lads from our community heading up river to Lawrence in their tinnies in honour and memory of Noah and Wayne Smith, who lost their lives in the most tragic way,” she said.

“It left me with a sense that the future is in good hands with these young boys 15-17 years old who already have an amazing sense of compassion, loyalty and genuine respect for their community. Their parents should be proud to have raised them right.”

Father had his gun licence suspended

It was later revealed Wayne’s gun licence had been suspended and police had seized three firearms in August 2021 after he admitted to having suicidal ideation and struggles with his mental health.

His licence was reinstated after he passed an independent medical and risk assessment in December.

Speaking on 2GB, NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley confirmed that Mr Smith’s licence had been suspended and reinstated.

Despite criticism from host Ben Fordham, Ms Catley defended the firearms registry process as being “very robust” and “rigorous”.

She said it would now be up to a coronial inquest to “shed some light and recommend ways to improve the licence process”.

“It’s difficult to speculate what his mental health was between December and now,” Ms Catley said of Mr Smith.

“There’s a very robust process around the firearms registry and gaining a firearms licence and that process was taken.”

Wayne Smith, 58, and his son Noah, 15, were found dead at their family home in Yamba, on NSW's north coast in early June.

Tight-knit community rocked by tragedy

In the wake of the tragedy that rocked the small community, Coffs-Clarence Police District Superintendent Shane Cribb said police had no reason to suspect the 15-year-old may have been unsafe at the home.

“We have been actively involved with the family right from the start,” he said on Friday.

“It’s an absolute tragic situation that my own police have had to deal with all night.

“I’ve got my own police that know the family, I’ve got police officers’ children that went to the same school, so when you talk about the effect this has as a whole, it affects a lot more people than we think.”

In the days following, locals revealed Noah was known around town for his love of fishing and rugby, and would often be seen working on the family boat with his father.

A report is currently being prepared for the coroner.