The bride and groom whose wedding day ended with 10 deaths in the Hunter Valley bus crash have issued their first statement since the devastating accident.
Mitchell Gaffney and Madeleine Edsell thanked the community for the “outpouring of love and support” in words released late Monday.
The newlyweds said they were grieving and struggling to process the awful tragedy.
In the statement released by the NSW Pemier’s office, the couple asked the media for privacy.
“While we appreciate the outpouring of love and support from the community, we ask that the media respect our privacy while we grieve,” the statement read.
“Our primary focus at this time is processing this tragedy, and supporting our family and friends which is why we’d like to formally decline any requests for media interviews.”
The statement came more than a week after the bus crash in the Hunter Valley that killed 10 wedding guests and injured many more.
Mr Gaffney’s parents also took to social media with a public plea to help prevent another similar tragedy in the future.
John Gaffney posted on LinkedIn that his son’s nuptials had been a “glorious occasion” until the bus crash later that night “shattered many lives”.
“Hopefully something positive can come out of this tragedy,” he wrote.
Mr Gaffney called for seatbelts to be made compulsory to install and wear on buses and urged the public to push this campaign.
“Fifty years ago the fitting and wearing of seatbelts became compulsory in Australia for all occupants of motor cars saving countless lives since,” he wrote.
“Whilst my wife and I can’t do this on our own, we believe ultimately everyone who rides a bus should have access to a seatbelt and be compelled by laws to wear them.”
He urged people to lobby federal and state MPs and start a petition.
His wife Carolyn wrote on Facebook that “something good” could come from the heartbreaking catastrophe.
“Our family would appreciate if the community would lobby the state and federal governments to ensure that seatbelts are provided in all buses and the wearing of them made compulsory,” she posted.
“We have the opportunity to change the law and the more support we have the greater the likelihood of change.
“Everyone riding on a bus should have access to a seat belt and be compelled by law to wear it.”
Singleton Roosters AFL club members on Monday revealed their “unfathomable heartache”.
Seven of the dead were from the Singleton area, and many had close ties to the Singleton Roosters AFL club.
