Church bells tolled amid tears and anguish at the funeral of Sydney mother Vanessa Tadros, killed in a helicopter crash on the Gold Coast.
Family and friends held a funeral service at Saint John the Beloved in Mount Druitt, Sydney, to farewell Ms Tadros, 36.
She was one of four people killed when two helicopters collided and the chopper she was in crashed into a sand bar near Sea World on January 2.
Ms Tadros’ 10-year-old son Nicholas, who was in one of the helicopters with his mother, woke from a coma on Sunday but remains in a critical condition.
Husband Simon’s eulogy was punctuated by silences as he held back tears in unison with hundreds of mourners at the Maronite Catholic church in western Sydney.
“Vanessa was a special person. Her smile was infectious … she had a pure heart … every day we grew strong together. She was our protector,” he told the congregation, mostly comprised of Lebanese and Egyptian Australians.
“To my beautiful wife, I will always love you no matter what challenges face us. I know you’ll always be with me. Rest in peace, beautiful.”
But amid the pain of farewelling his wife of 12 years, Mr Tadros found room for lightness.
“If you knew my wife, she’d call me rude if I didn’t thank everybody, so thank you for coming,” he said.
Mr Tadros will travel to the Gold Coast on Monday evening after Ms Tadros’ burial to be with his son as he continues his slow recovery.
Vanessa’s mother Rita was consoled by family members, in front of a hearse adorned with a massive bouquet of white flowers and sealed with a cross in the church’s courtyard.
Pierre, a congregant in his 50s, said Ms Tadros embodied the ideal of a loving family.
“We feel so much pain. Vanessa was so pure-hearted – simply the best and kindest,” he told AAP.
“Her mum is such a lovely lady who is so broken hearted.”
The service was conducted in Arabic and English by Coptic Orthodox and Lebanese Maronite priests.
Among those who came to pay their respect was Ranya, a woman in her 40s who grew up with the Tadros family.
“The whole family is humble and they have been such good support to each other amid this terrible tragedy,” she told AAP.
An online fundraising campaign to help the family has reached more than $62,000 in donations.
Nicholas, who is a grade 5 student at Bethany Catholic Primary School, is expected to have more surgeries this week. He has served as an altar boy where his mother’s funeral was held.
British couple Ron and Diane Hughes and pilot Ashley Jenkinson were also killed in the crash.
Mr Jenkinson’s funeral was held on the Gold Coast on Friday.
Air Transport Safety Bureau investigators are not expected to complete their probe into the accident until September, 2024.
