EXCLUSIVE
The two young sons of a woman who was tragically killed by a freight train while trying to retrieve her phone have said their final goodbyes at her funeral.
Devastated family and friends gathered at Palmdale Lawn Cemetery and Memorial Park, on NSW’s Central Coast, on Thursday to say goodbye to Mandy Bellamy, 31, almost two weeks after her death at Berowra train station.
Ms Bellamy and her partner Aroulen Chinnien, 25, were standing on the platform on Sydney’s northern edge around midnight on Friday, February 2, when they started arguing and he threw her phone on the tracks.
As she jumped down to get her phone, Mr Chinnien realized a freight train was coming and jumped down to save her. Both were hit and died on the spot.
Dozens of mourners filed into Hillside Chapel at 12:30 p.m. as Barry Mannilow’s hit “Mandy” played in the background, while her immediate family members – including her two sons, sister and brother – took their seats in the front row of the venue.
Mandy Bellamy, 31, (pictured) said goodbye at a ceremony on the NSW Central Coast
Dozens of mourners gathered Thursday at Palmdale Lawn Cemetery and Memorial Park to say goodbye to the beloved “mother, sister, daughter and friend.”
Pallbearers carried Mrs. Bellamy’s white coffin into the chapel and placed it on a wooden stage next to a collage of photos from her life and a small table topped with a bouquet of pink flowers.
Celebrant Gabe described Mrs Bellamy as a ‘beautiful daughter, mother, sister and friend’ before reading poems chosen by family members in her honour.
One verse chosen by Mrs. Bellamy’s family members was dedicated to her sons and reminded them that she would always be with them.
“Although you can no longer hear her voice and see her smile, your mother walks beside you, just as before,” the poem began.
“She is simply not visible to the eye, but speak to her in silence and her spirit will answer.”
Mourners were told how Ms 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 enjoyed camping, taking the family boat out on the water, baking with her mother and playing with her older brother Mitch and younger sister Brooke.
Mourners were told how Ms Bellamy had an ‘idyllic’ childhood as she played outside by the Hawkesbury River
Mrs Bellamy is remembered by her two young sons as ‘our beautiful mother’
During her primary school years, she enjoyed learning karate and performing Irish dancing – a talent that won her a medal at a Sydney dance competition.
Later in life she met her future partner, Hayden, on a trip to the Gold Coast. She became a stepmother to his young daughter from a previous relationship before the couple later welcomed two young sons.
Gabe said Mrs. Bellamy “loved motherhood and adored her boys,” describing her as their “beautiful mother.”
She said they made “many fond memories” during their time together, including visiting theme parks and playing in local parks.
Mrs Bellamy’s mother, Karen, told how her heart split in two ‘the moment her daughter left her’.
“Missing you is a heartache that never goes away,” began the verse, read by Gabe.
“I hold you tight in my heart, and there you will stay as my life goes on without you, but my life will never be the same.”
Mrs. Bellamy’s two sons were brought to the front of the chapel by their grandmother and aunt at the start of the ceremony to light candles
Mourners were told how Mrs Bellamy’s spirit would live on forever in her sons
Sister Brooke said in her verse that the time they spent together was “special” and that the “memories will never fade,” but “every day is a struggle.”
“I know you’re up there watching from above,” the poem read.
‘You will always be remembered.
“A piece of me has been missing since the day we had to say goodbye.”
Family members and friends were then shown a slideshow of Mandy’s life, from her childhood playing with her siblings to later spending time with her two boys as a loving mother.
Afterwards, mourners were invited to the front of the room to place a red rose on Mrs Bellamy’s coffin.
Her brother and sister were seen helping her two young sons as they walked forward to touch their mother’s casket for the last time.
After all the flowers were laid, a glass barricade was raised to surround the coffin, preparing it for cremation.
As the ceremony came to a close, Gabe reminded mourners that Mrs. Bellamy’s spirit – her joy, laughter and generous and caring heart – would live on in her two boys, 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 (photo) also died in the tragedy
“Mandy, you will always be precious, so deeply loved,” Gabe said.
“While 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 final journey.
“May the winds of love blow softly and make you whisper that we love you and will keep you in our hearts forever.”
As Whiz Khalifa’s hit ‘See you Again’ began to play, the glass screen surrounding Mrs Bellamy’s coffin turned opaque white, obscuring the coffin on its way to the crematorium.
One of Mrs. Bellamy’s sons could be seen wiping tears from his eyes with the cuff of his blue hoodie as everyone stood to leave the chapel.
Officers from the Kuring Gai Police Area Command are investigating the circumstances surrounding the double fatality, which is being treated as a case of misadventure.
The police will prepare a report for the coroner.