Hundreds of people have turned out for a sombre community vigil, held in memory of five Wyndham residents who died in last weekend’s Daylesford tragedy.
Thursday night’s memorial service paid tribute to Pratibha Sharma, 44, her nine-year-old daughter, Anvi, Pratibha’s partner, Jatin Chugh, 30, from Point Cook, and their friends Vivek Bhatia, 38, and his 11-year-old son, Vihaan, who lived in Tarneit.
Some people sat in white chairs that had been laid out in neat rows. Others stood in silence as speakers paid tribute to the two families and mourned the enormous loss to the Wyndham community.
The event was arranged by the City of Wyndham to allow the community to grieve together, following Sunday’s incident in which an out-of-control SUV ploughed into diners in the beer garden of Daylesford’s Royal Hotel.
Meantime a Diwali event planned for Point Cook’s Pop Up Park at the Stockland shopping centre has been cancelled out of respect for the victims of the tragedy and their loved ones.
Diwali is India’s biggest and most important celebration of the year. It marks “the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance” and is held between mid-September and mid-November.
In an online statement organisers of the Diwali event said the decision had been taken in consultation with the community.
“The team at the Pop-Up Park, our collaborators and supporters are deeply saddened by the loss of valued members of our community,” the post read.
“We offer our heart-felt condolences to the family and friends.”
