Amother and daughter, a husband and wife, a local doctor and a bowel cancer survivor are among the 10 people who remain unaccounted for after the horror Hunter Valley bus crash, as tributes begin to flow for the wedding guests who hailed from multiple states.
The group were among 35 bus passengers picked up from the wedding of Maddy Edsell and Mitchell Gaffney at Wandin Estate winery in Lovedale on Sunday. In a tragic turn of events, the Linq Buslines coach rolled on Wine Country Drive at Greta, near the Hunter Expressway off-ramp, about 11.30pm.
Those unaccounted for include Nadene and Kyah McBride, who were heavily involved in the Singleton Roosters Australian rules club. Nadene was the club president, while her daughter Kyah played for the Singleton Roosterettes and had been selected to represent the Sydney Swans in the Women’s Summer Series.
The Sydney Women’s AFL Masters Facebook page shared a tribute to the pair, saying the community was shocked and saddened by the “tragic news”.
“Our thoughts and sympathy extend to all the friends, families and teammates of Nads and Kyah and the Singleton football community,” the post reads.
Married couple and parents Andrew Scott, a physiotherapist, and Lynan Scott, who worked for coal mining company Yancoal Australia, both played for the same Singleton club.
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The Roosters posted a video of Andrew celebrating his 100th club game in April 2022, on the shoulders of Gaffney, the groom in Sunday’s wedding.
According to his profile on the Singleton Physiotherapy and Allied Health website, Andrew Scott was originally from Brisbane and loved sports and camping trips.
Another of those unaccounted for is Zach Bray. Previous Facebook posts show him to be a survivor of bowel cancer, originally from Dee Why in Sydney’s northern beaches.
In a post shared by Bray back in November 2020, he advocated for his work as an ambassador at The Gut Foundation to raise awareness around gastrointestinal issues that can lead to bowel cancer.
In another post shared that year, Bray said he was training for his commercial helicopter licence “as a bucket list thing that I’m just going to get done”.
Local doctor Rebecca Mullen was also among the passengers. NSW Health Minister Ryan Park confirmed on Tuesday she had died in the crash, and extended his condolences to her family.
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“We’ve lost one of our own. Someone who was obviously going to have a long and illustrious career in medicine has been taken way too early,” he said. “This has made a very dark day even darker for NSW Health.”
Mullen was based at Calvary Mater Hospital within the Hunter New England Local Health District after graduating from the University of Newcastle in 2021, and had also studied at the University of Sydney and University of New England.
Photos show Mullen kayaking, hiking and competing in the Central Coast Half Marathon.
In a post, the UNE Nomads football club said it was extremely saddened.
“Bec was an extremely active member of the club, a wonderfully talented sportswoman and a friend to all who knew her. We offer our sincere condolences to her friends and family,” the club posted.
Melbourne woman Darcy Bulman is still unaccounted for following Sunday night’s tragedy.
A spokesman for the Australian Securities and Investments Commission confirmed that Bulman was involved in the incident, but could not provide further details. She had worked as an investigator in the financial regulator’s Collins Street office in Melbourne since late 2020, and previously worked at KPMG.
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The ASIC spokesman said special counselling arrangements would be organised for her close colleagues.
Wedding guest Kane Symons has also been remembered. Carlton Park Surf Life Saving Club President Christine Gaby posted on behalf of Symons’ family, writing that the Tasmanian club’s hearts were broken and sent love and support to his family and friends.
“Kane, otherwise known as ‘Superman’ was an amazing athlete who competed at the highest level. But more than that he was a leader, a great bloke and a mate to many,” Gaby posted.
“We adored him, and he will be truly missed.”
Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff said he was “utterly devastated” to hear the news.
“Kane Symons was a champion surf-lifesaver, taken from us far, far too soon,” Rockliff said.
Two other guests who remain unaccounted for are Australian rules coach and Singleton local Tori Cowburn, and engineer Angus Craig, whose LinkedIn profile states he was a reliability engineer for BHP in Brisbane, originally from Jervis Bay on NSW’s South Coast.
‘Knowing quite a number of them are actually from our neighbouring community of Singleton … makes it even more devastating.’
Cessnock mayor Jay Suvaal
Cessnock mayor Jay Suvaal said the community was still in a “state of shock”.
“Today, we’re now waking up to learn more about the victims involved and sadly knowing quite a number of them are actually from our neighbouring community of Singleton, so that sort of makes it even more devastating,” Suvaal told ABC News on Tuesday morning.
NSW Police Acting Assistant Commissioner David Waddell said police could not confirm the identities of the 10 victims, but passengers had ranged in age from their 20s to 60s.
Speaking to reporters in Cessnock on Tuesday, Waddell said the guests had travelled from “far and wide” for the wedding, and included locals and those from interstate.
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“We will work through that disaster victim identification process over the next few days,” Waddell said, adding that liaison officers were speaking to the families.
As at noon on Tuesday, 14 passengers remained in hospital.
NSW Health said one patient was in a critical but stable condition and eight patients in a stable condition at John Hunter Hospital; two patients were in a stable condition at Maitland Hospital; one patient was in a stable condition at Calvary Mater in Newcastle; and two patients were in a stable condition at Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.
Waddell said the injuries sustained ranged from minor to “very serious”, including broken bones, and the two patients at RPA had undergone surgery.
Community crisis centres have opened at Branxton Community Hall and Singleton Youth Venue.
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