They came from everywhere united in their pain.
Dozens of relatives of a father who died in a horror house fire fighting to save his five children paid tribute to the victims with a powerful Haka.
Their chants and shouts filled the air in the sleepy, tree-lined cul-de-sac where just a week ago such a tragedy would have been unimaginable.
Wayne Godinet, 34, died along with his four-year-old twins Kyza and Koa, his three-year-old son Nicky and his stepsons Zack, 11, and Harry, 10, in an inferno at their Russell Island home. on Sunday. tomorrow.
He returned to the burning building in an attempt to rescue the children, but was killed inside when the second floor collapsed.
Distraught relatives revealed that the ‘hero’ father died with his arms around the children doing his best to shield them from the flames.
The boys’ mother, Samantha Stephenson, 28, and her half-sister Connie Campbell, 20, fled to safety and miraculously survived.
The cause of the fire remains a mystery, but police removed two charred gas cylinders from the wreckage which will now be examined by fire investigators.
Dozens of relatives of a father who died in a house fire with his five children on Russell Island paid tribute to them in a special ceremony Thursday afternoon (pictured)
Relatives held a Haka ceremony at the site of the fire to honor the memory of the victims.
Roses and gerberas were left against a charred piece of masonry at the site of the tragedy.
Godinet and her children were remembered by around 100 relatives who traveled to the island off Queensland’s south coast from Australia and New Zealand on Thursday afternoon.
They gathered at the end of the gravel track’s quiet cul-de-sac just after 2pm, many touching foreheads in a traditional Maori greeting.
Parents hugged their children, while others linked arms.
Then the afternoon silence on the sleeping island was suddenly filled with the wailing of a woman believed to be Mr. Godinet’s mother.
Dressed entirely in black and wearing dark sunglasses, she led mourners under police tape.
There they faced a scene of total destruction.
A burnt out jeep stood next to the twisted and twisted corrugated iron roof of the Queenslander property that had been razed to the ground.
Father Wayne Godinet, 34, and his five children (pictured) perished after being trapped in a deadly fire on Queensland’s Russell Island.
A woman, believed to be Godinet’s mother, sprays water at the site as her father, Jacob Cope, looks on crying.
Staff from the island’s rural fire brigade stood behind the group as some family members performed the mighty Haka to honor the memory of Mr. Godinet and his children.
A relative placed a comforting arm around the shoulder of Godinet’s father, Jacob Cope, who was wearing a Dayboro Cowboys rugby league jersey.
The grandfather cried as a woman believed to be Godinet’s mother sprayed water around the site.
Samantha Stephenson, who lost all her children in the fire, did not attend.
Neighbors recalled seeing Mrs Stephenson running outside yelling “my children, my children” as her partner ran back to Hell to rescue the five children sleeping upstairs.
A heartbroken Stephenson previously urged all parents to “check your smoke detectors and hold your babies.”
One of her sisters later came to the scene to place three roses and three gerberas against a charred piece of masonry in memory of the victims.
Moments before bereaved family members arrived, officers stowed two charred gas cylinders that had been involved in the fire in the back of a police car.
Mourners touched their foreheads in a traditional Maori greeting (pictured)
Earlier in the day, detectives from the Bayside CIB on the mainland went through the ashes and gathered various items which were taken away in an evidence box.
A detective collected what appeared to be a broken plate and the fragment of a glass candle holder or vase.
The tragedy has shaken the small island community of about 3,500 people.
David Woodley, 62, who moved to Russell Island to retire 18 months ago, said the last week had been “absolutely devastating”.
“You can see the sad faces and feel the heartbreak, anxiety and depression,” he told Daily Mail Australia.
Mourners embraced after the ceremony.
The fire was so intense that firefighters were only able to collect the remains of the house late Sunday afternoon after fighting it since 6:18 a.m.
Police officers saved two charred gas cylinders that had been involved in the fire on Thursday afternoon.
Everyone is in total shock.
Mr. Woodley left a bouquet of flowers at the local police station to thank them for their work.
Police on Monday said they would not rule out foul play.
The fire was so fierce that it affected three properties, razing one, gutting another, and damaging a third.
Daily Mail Australia spoke to a neighbor living behind the property who provided footage of the fire to police.
The children’s mother, 28-year-old Samantha Stephenson (right with Godinet), and her half-sister, were released from the hospital after escaping the fire.
Your scene investigations are now complete and the police tape has been removed.
But police say it could still be weeks before they can establish the cause of the fire, if at all.
It occurs when the police revealed that autopsies were performed on the six victims of the tragedy.
