Advertisement

Tributes for mother crushed to death after tree falls on family car

A young boy has been left without his mother while his brother fights for life and father recovers in hospital after a 30-metre gum tree crushed their family car in a freak accident during Victoria’s wild weather.

Melbourne woman Angie Suryadi, 41, was remembered at a church service on Saturday as friends and family came to grips with her death at the scene of the crash in the Yarra Ranges on Friday morning.

Her son Oliver, 4, remains in a critical condition in the Royal Childrens’ Hospital. His five-year-old brother Jonathan was discharged to be cared for by other relatives.

Their dad, 41-year-old Arnold Adiatiasvara, remained at The Alfred hospital in a stable condition.

Emergency services had been called to Maroondah Highway at Fernshaw on the Black Spur halfway between Healesville and Narbethong on Friday as fierce winds lashed parts of the state.

Friends and family were on Saturday coming to grips with the shock loss of Ms Suryadi as they vowed to support the rest of the family and pray for Oliver’s recovery.

Ms Suryadi’s church community is grieving the loss of the young mother. Photo: Facebook

“The whole family are just (a) beautiful family,” Lifo Wijaya, from the family’s Australia for Christ Church at Rowville, told Nine News on Saturday.

“We believe in miracles so we really appreciate people praying for this family.”

In a Facebook post by the Australia for Christ Church Indonesia, Ms Suryadi was remembered as a “great friend” and “beautiful soul” who was “full of love and faith”.

“We lost a great friend, Angie was a great woman and she will be truly missed and will always be remembered. She was loved by all of us and she will be cherished in our memories forever,” the post read.

Ms Suryadi’s Facebook page is filled with family photos taken at birthdays, baby showers and outdoor trips.

50 people gathered at a church service on Saturday for Ms Suryadi.

Meanwhile, winds eased on Saturday but conditions remained gusty across much of the state, with the State Emergency Service receiving 166 calls for help in 24 hours.

Hundreds of people had called the SES during Friday’s storms, mostly for fallen trees, as the damaging cold front swept the state.

Wilsons Promontory recorded winds of 119km/h, Gabo Island 98km/h and Port Phillip Bay 83km/h.

Snow fell down to about 500m, with reports of snow at locations including Mount Dandenong and Mount Macedon.

Conditions are expected to remain icy on Sunday as another cold front moves across the state.

Melbourne is forecast to reach a top of just 12C, with maximum temperatures over the alpine region dropping as low as -3C.

A severe weather warning remains in place for the far east of the state.

While Victoria shivered, conditions were the opposite in NSW where firefighters battled more than 70 blazes including more than 20 out of control fires, fanned by strong winds that are not expected to ease until Sunday morning.

A large bushfire threatened homes at Kangaroo Creek, near Grafton in northern NSW, with residents being urged on Saturday to seek immediate shelter as it burned in a southeast direction.

Almost 400 hectares of land at the Hat Head National Park was torched as strong southeasterly winds pushed the fire into the beachside area.

A ‘Watch and Act’ alert remained for homes near Turners Flat, west of Kempsey, where a fire burned about 200 hectares.

“We are expecting winds to hold up over the next 12 to 24 hours so that will be problematic for the fires we still have,” Rural Fire Service spokesman Ben Shepherd said.

Meanwhile, a 68-year-old man died after hitting a low hanging tree branch while skiing in the Snowy Mountains on Saturday morning.

Thredbo was hit with 15 centimetres of snowfall on Friday night, causing a 13-vehicle collision and the subsequent closure of a major road for three hours. Luckily, no one was injured.

Sunday evening will see more moderate conditions.

-with AAP

Stay informed, daily
A FREE subscription to The New Daily arrives every morning and evening.
The New Daily is a trusted source of national news and information and is provided free for all Australians. Read our editorial charter
Copyright © 2024 The New Daily.
All rights reserved.