EXCLUSIVE
The two young children of a woman who was tragically killed by a freight train while trying to retrieve her phone said a final goodbye at her funeral.
Devastated family and friends gathered at Palmdale Lawn Cemetery and Memorial Park on the New South Wales Central Coast to say goodbye to Mandy Bellamy, 31, on Thursday, almost two weeks after her death at the station. Berowra train station.
Bellamy and his partner Aroulen Chinnien, 25, were standing on the platform on Sydney’s northern outskirts around midnight on Friday, February 2, when they began arguing and he threw his phone onto the tracks.
While jumping to retrieve her phone, Chinnien noticed a freight train approaching and jumped to try to save her. Both were hit and died at the scene.
Dozens of mourners packed into Hillside Chapel at 12.30pm as Barry Mannilow’s hit song ‘Mandy’ played in the background, with his close relatives, including his two children, sister and brother, taking seats in the front row of the lounge.
Mandy Bellamy, 31 (pictured), was farewelled at a ceremony on the New South Wales Central Coast.
Dozens of mourners packed Palmdale Lawn Cemetery and Memorial Park on Thursday to say goodbye to the beloved “mother, sister, daughter and friend.”
Pallbearers carried Bellamy’s white casket into the chapel and placed it on a wooden podium, next to a collage of photographs from his life and a small table covered with a bouquet of pink flowers.
Celebrant Gabe described Mrs Bellamy as a “beautiful daughter, mother, sister and friend” before reading poems selected by family members in her honour.
A verse chosen by Bellamy’s relatives was dedicated to her children, reminding them that she would always be with them.
“Though you can no longer hear her voice or see her smile, your mother walks by your side just as she did before,” the poem began.
“She is simply not visible to the naked eye, but speak to her quietly and her spirit will respond.”
Mourners were told how Bellamy, the middle child of three siblings, was born in Hornsby in the 1990s and had an “idyllic childhood” growing up on the Hawkesbury River, just north of Sydney.
As a child, she loved camping, going out on the water on the family boat, baking with her mother, and playing with her older brother Mitch and younger sister Brooke.
Mourners were told how Bellamy had an “idyllic” childhood playing outside on the Hawkesbury River.
Bellamy has been remembered as “our beautiful mother” by her two young children
During his primary school years, he enjoyed learning karate and performed Irish dancing, a talent that earned him a medal at a dance competition in Sydney.
Later in life, he met his future partner, Hayden, during a trip to the Gold Coast. She became a stepmother to her young daughter from a previous relationship before the couple welcomed two young children.
Gabe said Bellamy “loved motherhood and adored her children,” who described her as their “beautiful mother.”
He said they made “many precious memories” during their time together, including visiting theme parks and playing at local parks.
Bellamy’s mother, Karen, shared how “the moment her daughter left her” her heart “broke in two.”
“Missing you is a pain that never goes away,” the verse, read by Gabe, began.
‘I have you strong in my heart, and you will remain there as long as my life goes on without you, but my life will never be the same.’
Bellamy’s two children were escorted by their grandmother and aunt to the front of the chapel at the beginning of the ceremony to light candles.
Mourners were told how Mrs Bellamy’s spirit would live on forever in her children.
Sister Brooke said through her verses that their time together was “special” and that “the memories will never fade,” but “every day is a struggle.”
“I know you’re up there looking down,” the poem said.
‘You will always be remembered.
“A part of me has been missing since the day we had to part.”
Her loved ones and friends were then shown a slideshow of Mandy’s life, from her childhood playing with her siblings to her later life as a loving mother spending time with her two children.
Mourners were then invited to the front of the room to place a red rose on top of Bellamy’s coffin.
Her brother and sister could be seen helping their two young children as they approached to touch their mother’s coffin for the last time.
Once all the flowers were placed, a glass barricade was erected to surround the coffin, preparing it for cremation.
As the ceremony came to a close, Gabe reminded mourners that Bellamy’s spirit – her joy, her laughter and her generous, caring heart – would live on in her two children, who would be proud to say she was their mother.
Emergency services were called to Berowra train station (pictured) in Sydney’s north.
Aroulen Chinnien (pictured) also died in the tragedy.
“Mandy, you will always be precious, deeply loved,” Gabe said.
‘Although today brings the deepest sadness, it also brings immense gratitude for the blessing of having you in our lives.’
‘We wish you peace on your last journey.
‘May the winds of love blow gently and whisper to you so that you may hear that we love you and that we will always keep you in our hearts.’
As Whiz Khalifa’s hit song ‘See you Again’ began to play, the glass screen surrounding Ms Bellamy’s coffin turned an opaque white, hiding the coffin from view as it made its way to the crematorium.
One of Bellamy’s sons could be seen wiping tears from his eyes with the cuff of his blue hoodie as everyone stood up to leave the chapel.
Officers from Kuring Gai Police Area Command are investigating the circumstances surrounding the double death, which is being treated as a case of misadventure.
The police will prepare a report for the coroner.