Tyrese Bechard: First funeral for five teen victims of Buxton crash
A devastated community has come together to mourn 15-year-old Tyrese Bechard in a service that touched on the tragic circumstances of their death.
The fifth teen killed in a horror crash has been named, while mourners have remembered one of the victims as a “cheeky” young man with a “heart of gold”.
Hundreds gathered to farewell Tyrese Bechard, 16, at Picton’s HisHouse Church on Thursday.
Before the service, ‘Fix you’ by Coldplay could be heard above the quiet sobs of loved ones, before the crowd stood as the coffin was brought in while ‘Forever Young’ played.
Tyrese, Lily Van de Putte, Summer Williams, Antonio Desisto, and Gabriella McLennan were killed when the ute they were travelling in hit a tree on East Parade at Buxton on September 6.
Ms McLennan was identified as the fifth victim of the crash on Thursday. The 15-year-old was in a relationship with Mr Bechard.
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The funeral was the first of the five ceremonies for the victims, with the other services expected in the coming days.
Heartbroken parents of the other victims were in attendance and were seen hugging Tyrese’s family members.
The family of killed 14-year-old Lily Van De Putte approached the hearse and laid a flower on Mr Bechard’s coffin as they paid their respects.
John Van De Putte, who spoke emotionally about the loss of his “little angel” who was his sidekick, placed a sorrowful hand on the coffin as he paid tribute to the loss.
Locals of all ages queued silently outside the church as they waited to enter.
Family and friends spoke lovingly about Mr Bechard, his zest for life, and boundless kindness.
The touching memorial slideshow featured dozens of photos of Tyrese throughout his life. The 16-year-old was pictured having fun on bikes, riding double on a motorbike with his uncle, and enjoying life with family and friends.
“Tyrese was a young man with a heart of gold,” the memorial slideshow read.
“He was always kind and respectful to everyone around him.
“His joyful character will be missed dearly by everyone he met.”
Tyrese’s aunt Rebecca gave an emotional and heartfelt tribute to her nephew, who she described as “selfless” and ”fearless”.
“Our beautiful boy, you were taken too soon,” she said.
“For everyone who knew him, he was a caring, kind, respectful and fearless young man.
“He was a cheeky kid growing up. Fast forward a few years, he grew into a respectful young man.
“Reecy was so selfless and put others before himself. He always said hello and gave you a big hug.
“I’m going to miss looking over the dinner table and watching your reaction to things you didn’t agree with.
“Reecy, we miss you. We miss your laugh, your cheeky smile and courageous energy. Fly high my beautiful boy.”
A friend told the funeral he would always remember the times he spent with Mr Bechard “laughing, giggling and crying”.
His cousins also paid tribute to the teen, who they loved like a sibling. “He’s inspired me to do a lot of things in my life and had impacted me significantly,” his cousin Marcus said.
“I’ll never forget what he has done.”
Mr Bechard’s cousin Nadia said she would always hold him in her heart after he was taken from the family too soon.
“You didn’t deserve this,” she said. “You were only 15 and you had so much to live for.”
Pastor Michael Burke said Mr Bechard was leaving “this world a little bit better because he was in it” in a touching dedication to the much-loved teen.
“Thanks for being in our lives. Thanks for being a son, a grandson, a bother, a nephew, a cousin, a mate,” the pastor said.
“Thanks for caring. Thanks for laughing with us, for being there for us. Most of all, mate, thanks for sharing your life with us. We wanted so much more of you.”
He joked that Mr Bechard would have been delighted to see the “mullet convention” on show at his funeral.
“As we gather to pay tribute, you can take solace in the fact that he has been and still is part of all of your lives,” he said.
Pastor Burke bestowed the greatest honour he could on Mr Bechard, calling the teen a “bloody good young bloke”.
“Reecy, we weren’t prepared for you to go. It’s still so hard to believe,” he said.
Mr Bechard was raised by his grandparents, who were both visibly distraught at the teen’s funeral.
Tears ran down his grandfather’s face as he hugged friends.
Adele’s ‘Easy on Me’ resonated through the church as the six pallbearers carried Mr Bechard’s coffin to the hearse.
The song formed an emotional farewell to the teen, who loved new music and always shared his discoveries with family and friends.
Around 250 people gathered outside the church to form a guard of honour for the hearse.
People of all ages were crying and embracing as they waited to pay their respects to the teen.
As the hearse pulled away from the church, the hundreds of mourners clapped in celebration of Mr Bechard’s life.
Picton High students, who were given the day off school, hugged each other close as they waited on the side of the road for the teen’s family to be driven away in stretch limos.
Hundreds of Mr Bechard’s fellow students, their parents, and local friends and acquaintances streamed into the cemetery in the nearby town of Thirlmere.
Teens carrying orange, white, and black balloons followed the silent procession to the gravesite in the peaceful green space.
It was a sea of silent black as the assembled mourners waited with hands clasped for the teen to be laid to rest.
The six pallbearers carried the coffin for the final time as Puff Daddy sang “I’ll be Missing You”.
The white coffin was piled high with an arrangement of red and white flowers as they carried it towards the grave.
Tears streamed freely down the face of Mr Bechard’s grandparents as they saw their grandson placed in his final resting place.
Club music played beside the grave as mourners paid their final tributes to the beloved 16-year-old.
It was a heartwarming tribute to the teen’s love of dance music and well documented enthusiasm for life.
As the heavy beats rang out through the tree-lined cemetery, those who loved Mr Bechard said their goodbyes to the teen who had his life cut so tragically short.
Afterwards, the students sent more than 20 balloons soaring into the air above their classmate’s grave.
Those who knew the students will be repeating this tragic process over and over again in the coming days.
Tyrese Bechard’s grandmother who raised him from a baby after his mother died from a drug overdose was already struggling financially and emotionally when her world was turned upside down.
“My mum is not good … She raised Ty, now she’s lost a daughter and a grandson,” Tyrese’s aunt Maria Ma told The Daily Telegraph.
The 16-year-old boy had reportedly only recently broken up with one of the fourteen-year-old girls who died in the car with him that night.
A GoFundMe campaign set up by local woman Melissa Davies has raised more than $17,000 for the families of the victims.
The teens had told their parents they were going on a “maccas run” but reportedly drove around for hours. Alarm bells were raised when they didn’t return home.
The Nissan Navara ute was being driven by Tyrell Edwards, 18, when he allegedly lost control and hit a tree on East Parade in Buxton.
Mr Edwards, the sole survivor, has been charged with five counts of dangerous driving occasioning death.
He was refused bail in Picton Local Court and was remanded in custody.
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