A beloved Australian mother is being mourned by her two daughters after she died in a horror car crash on the way to a Year Six graduation ceremony.
Rebecca Smith, 40, died when the Toyota HiLux she was driving crashed and overturned in Taldora, about 1,500 kilometers northwest of Brisbane, on November 19.
The outback postal worker was on her way to attend her youngest daughter, 12-year-old Lacy’s, sixth-grade graduation ceremony when she crashed.
Emergency services attended the scene, but the mother of two could not be saved.
Lacy and her sister Kaylah, 18, who is their mother’s closest relative, are now mourning the loss of their “happy” and “vibrant” mother.
Kaylah lives in Herberton, in the Tablelands region of Queensland, with her father Steven Dotchin, who met Ms Smith when they were 16.
Dotchin said Mrs Smith’s family and tight-knit community were devastated.
“It’s a very, very heavy thing to swallow,” he told courier mail.
Rebecca Smith (pictured) died in a horrific car accident on the way to a graduation ceremony
Ms Smith, an outback postal worker, crashed and overturned near Taldora, Queensland, last week.
“She worked for the post office and dropped it off at cattle stations and was trying to get back to graduation when she was in a tragic car accident,” he said.
“It was a horrible night and being in Julia Creek, they are in the middle of nowhere.”
Dotchin said Smith had lived in the inner city for some time and would be remembered as “vibrant” and “the life of the party”.
He has started a GoFundMe to raise money for Kaylah and Lacy.
“In light of this devastating event, her two daughters are not only dealing with the emotional impact of losing their mother, but also facing the challenges associated with financial stability and living arrangements,” he wrote.
“Funds raised through this campaign will go towards securing the girls’ future, as well as facilitating their relocation, along with that of their horses and dogs,” he wrote.
Dotchin said Kaylah is Smith’s closest relative and will raise Lacy with her partner.
Mrs Smith will be cremated in Townsville and will be said farewell at a funeral in Julia Creek on Tuesday.