Byron Bay Road Tragedy
| About this Item |
Subjects | Road Accidents; Youth; Byron Bay |
Speakers | George Mr Thomas |
Business | Private Members Statements |
Page: 3237
Mr THOMAS GEORGE (Lismore) [4.51 p.m.]: I will speak this afternoon about a very sad situation. The community awoke to the news on Sunday morning, 22 October, that four young people lost their lives in a tragedy near Byron Bay. Corey New, 16 years of age, the son of Mark and Ann New, and captain-elect at Kadina High School; Bryce Wells, 17 years of age, son of Robert and Jacqueline Wells; Mitch Eveleigh, 16 years of age, son of Robert and Karen Eveleigh; Paul Morris, 16 years of age, son of Paul Morris senior and Maria Bolt; and the driver, Tyler Green, 17 years of age, were all involved in a terrible accident.
I pay tribute to the police and emergency services, the principal of Kadina High School, Stephen Lowndes, former principal and now director Toni Hughes, the teachers, the staff, councillors, supporters and students. The sign at the front of the school says it all: "Sadly missing our boys, supporting our students". The community as a whole is grief stricken. The families have been devastated by this tragedy and its enormous impact is immeasurable. The families have their memories, as do the students. Given time, I pray that those special memories will be the rock from which one day everyone can move forward. As all the photographs and reports have shown, the gate at Kadina High School has now become a shrine to the tragedy. One newspaper has reported that a memorial will be erected at school.
Mark and Ann New, the parents of Corey New, have pleaded for people not to blame Tyler for the tragedy. Instead, Ann said the damage could have been minimised if P-plate laws restricted the number of passengers young drivers can carry to just one. She said:
Always after the fact it's more important to you … but a tragedy on this scale just wouldn't happen if these restrictions were in force.
You don't want one child to die let alone four, but if there was one passenger per P-plater this immense tragedy would not be affecting so many.
The impact of this tragedy in terms of stress, anguish and loss is enormous. There are simply no words or emotion strong enough to convey the desolation Tyler will be feeling. Yet somehow he has to try to make sense of what happened and move on. When Ann was interviewed about this matter she was very strong in saying those words. I trust that we as legislators will respond to the requests of not only the parents but also Tweed- Byron Police Inspector Owen King to ensure that a lasting legacy be established with regard to P-plate drivers. On behalf of this House and the community, I extend our deepest sympathy and assure the families that our prayers and thoughts are with them during this sad time.