A mother and son fighting for their lives after a mid-air helicopter crash on the Gold Coast had been celebrating their reunion in Australia.
Two Sea World Helicopters had been flying over the Broadwater on Monday afternoon when the two aircraft collided.
One helicopter managed to land, however, the other crashed onto a sandbar.
Geelong woman Winnie De Silva, 33, her son, Leon, 9, and a boy, 10, from New South Wales were the only survivors from the crashed aircraft.
As of 8pm Tuesday, Ms De Silva was in a serious but stable condition at the Gold Coast University Hospital, while her son remained in a critical condition at the Queensland's Children's Hospital in Brisbane.
The 10-year-old boy remains in a critical condition on the Gold Coast.
Pilot Ash Jenkinson and three passengers died. Two of the passengers were a UK couple, aged 57 and 65, and the other was a Sydney woman, 36.
Ms De Silva and her young son had been visiting the Gold Coast from Geelong in Victoria, where she works as a social worker.
She migrated to Australia from Kenya and her son only recently joined her, after she secured a visa for him last year.
The Gold Coast holiday had been to celebrate their reunion.
"We didn't stop talking about this trip," said Ann Mwangi, Ms De Silva's friend and neighbour.
"It's just a mother wanting to give the world to her child: Dreamworld, Sea World and anything she could give her son, she wanted to give to him," she said.
Ms De Silva and her son had set off for the Gold Coast on New Year's Day, just one day before the deadly crash.
"Winnie just wanted Leon to have fun and just to see Australia," Ms Mwangi said.
Ms Mwangi — who is also a Kenyan community leader in Geelong — said Ms De Silva was well-loved in the community, and a fund had been set up for people to support the family.
She said Ms De Silva had recently taken part in a large Christmas gathering.
"Winnie is one of those people you never forget her when you meet her. She's so full of life and so full of love," she said.
"We're all in shock and just wanting to be there for her," Ms Mwangi said.
Some of Geelong's Kenyan community are now waiting to hear from Ms De Silva's husband, so they can travel to support him and the family.
"We are all sisters and brothers and I think the African community as a whole — my phone hasn't stopped ringing and we're just supporting each other and just being there for each other," Ms Mwangi said.
"When something like this happens, I think we all look after each other."
