Friends and sporting clubs have paid tribute to those still unaccounted for after the Hunter Valley bus tragedy, with seven of the 10 deceased confirmed to be locals in the town of Singleton, including a mother and daughter and a promising junior doctor.
Communities up and down Australia’s east coast were left reeling as the identities of those yet to be accounted for began to emerge on Tuesday.
Statements were issued overnight and into Tuesday paying tribute to Nadene McBride and her daughter Kyah, footballers from nearby Singleton; Kane Symons, a local footballer and lifesaver previously from Tasmania, former footballer Andrew Scott and his wife, Lynan Scott, local junior doctor Rebecca Mullen and investigator Darcy Bulman.
Mullen’s former employers at Calvary Mater hospital paid tribute to her work, as did the state’s health minister and her former football club.
The hospital said its staff were shocked at the loss of a “passionate” and “well-respected” clinician, hitting particularly hard as the loss came as the hospital was caring for other injured wedding guests.
Calvary Mater general manager, Mark Jeffrey, said that it was providing support to Mullen’s colleagues and other staff who had treated the injured.
“Dr Mullen was a passionate clinician, well-respected by her peers and we offer sincere condolences to her family and friends at this very difficult time,” Jeffrey said. “We continue to provide support to Dr Mullen’s colleagues and our staff who provided care to others involved in this incident.”
Mullen, like many at the wedding, was a keen sportswoman. She ran, played football, kayaked and hiked. Her old football club, the Armidale-based New England Nomads, described her as “wonderfully talented” and offered its sincere condolences to her friends and family.
“Bec was an extremely active member of the club, a wonderfully talented sportswoman and a friend to all who knew her,” the club said.
The state health minister, Ryan Park, said the news that NSW Health had lost one of its own made “a dark day even darker”.
“Our focus now is on putting all of our support around her family, loved ones and her friends,” he said. “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 and on behalf of the NSW community.”
Queensland’s Redland-Victoria Point Sharks Football Club described Andrew Scott, a Singleton local known as Chisel, as a “terrific member of our community both on and off the field”.
“Chisel, as he was known, played for the Bombers in 2014 alongside his brother Luke. He also was a longtime player at QAFL level with Mt Gravatt, where he was part of the Vultures’ 2007 premiership team.
“He was a terrific member of our community both on and off the field and was characterised by his big heart and willingness to help anyone.”
The Sydney Women’s AFL Masters social competition said its community was “shocked and saddened” by news of the loss of McBride and her daughter Kyah, who both played football in Singleton.
“Our thoughts and sympathy extend to all the friends, families and teammates of Nads and Kyah and the Singleton football community. Please reach out to each other for support.”
The Carlton Park surf life saving club, based in Tasmania, issued a statement on behalf of the family of Symons, who was Kyah’s boyfriend.
“We send our love and support to Steve, Sarn and Jaimie,” said the club’s president, Christine Gaby. “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. We adored him and he will be truly missed.”
Symons was also a footballer playing in Singleton and had been named in the AFL Hunter Central Coast men’s squad just four days ago. Kyah had been named in the same team’s women’s squad on the same day.
Darcy Bulman is also not accounted for after the crash. Bulman’s partner shared a photo of the pair of them on Facebook overnight and was inundated with tributes and messages of support.
Bulman was an investigator with the corporate regulator, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, and had previously worked for the consulting giant KPMG as a graduate.
“This is truly tragic news,” KPMG said. “Darcy was a very capable professional and a wonderful colleague in our Forensic team. When she moved to Asic, Darcy continued to build a successful career. Our thoughts are with Darcy’s family and friends at this very difficult time.”
In a video profiling her time at KPMG, Bulman described herself as a “bit of a joker”.
“I like to have fun with my friends,” she said. “I like to chill out, go to the beach, I love the water, water sports. I’m laidback but at the same time, I’m driven, I want to see what I can do.”
Sue Moore, the mayor of Singleton shire council, said the community was struggling to come to terms with the loss.
“I understand seven of the victims are from Singleton – so struggling still, coming to terms with it,” she said. “The wider community, as well as the families, obviously. The wedding couple. The people that are still in hospital with injuries. It’s – it’s just so widespread.”
The Cessnock city council mayor, Jay Suvaal, said the community was in a state of shock and described his distress at learning that so many of the victims were from the neighbouring community of Singleton.
“So that sort of makes it even more devastating,” he told the ABC. “We are a really close-knit community.”
Suvaal said he had worked with the mayor of Singleton “to make sure that both of our communities are supported during this difficult time”.
Drop-in clinics are available at the Singleton youth venue from 9am and at the Branxton community hall from 10am on Tuesday. Disaster recovery officers and chaplains will be providing mental health support, “which is really needed here”, Suvaal said.
“People will be able to just come in that have been affected by this and talk to someone.”
