Heartwarming gesture for the victims of the Hunter Valley bus accident and their families
- Offer of free accommodation for families of bus accidents
- Posters praised their offer to help the victims’ families
Locals in the grief-stricken Hunter Valley have opened their doors to the victims of the horror wedding bus crash and their families.
Ten people were killed and another 25 injured after the bus rolled onto Wine Country Drive in Greta, NSW late Sunday night.
There were 35 passengers on the bus returning to their accommodation after attending Madeleine Edsell and Mitchell Gaffney’s wedding at the picturesque Wandin Valley Estate.
As the community was reeling from the tragedy, one man offered free shelter for those involved.
“Don’t know how to reach family, but I have an airbnb near John Hunter Hospital (where crash victims are being treated),” Matty Smith wrote on the Cessnock Community Facebook page.
“I will offer free for family of the bus accident patients who are cared for there. It sleeps 5.’
The site of a bus crash near Greta in the NSW Hunter Valley on Monday 12 June 2023. Ten people died in the crash and at least 10 others were injured
His gesture was described as “thoughtful, generous and kind,” and soon a woman replied that she would be happy to take him up on his offer.
‘My son and his partner were on the bus. He is currently undergoing surgery and will be in hospital for at least 2 weeks,” she wrote.
“We’d really appreciate your offer if it’s still free—there are four of us.”
Mr. Smith’s offer was soon joined by others who wanted to help the victims and their families.
A woman who runs a laundromat offered to wash and iron clothes for free, also pick them up and deliver them.
Emergency services are pictured investigating the scene of a bus accident that killed 10 people and injured many more
The scene of a bus crash that killed 10 people from a wedding party in the Hunter Valley region is depicted
Another person also offered free accommodation and said they ‘have a self-contained granny flat’. We are 25 minutes away from JHH (John Hunter Hospital).
“It has bedding for 2, but I have extra mattresses and floor space above to make room for more.”
Another woman said she had “a spare room in Belmont North with a double bed for the family if needed…about a 15 minute drive to JHH.”
Mr Smith later added that he “obviously can’t accommodate everyone” but people who want to “take a shower and freshen up” can also use his Airbnb.
He added that “there is a coffee machine” in the property and people can also charge their phones or use Wi-Fi there.
Someone who works at John Hunter Hospital replied that he had informed Mr Smith that they would notify the hospital social worker of his offers.
“Thank you, the world needs more people like you,” they said.
Many commenters praised Mr Smith’s offer, with one writing: ‘What a wonderful kind offer, your compassionate heart has thought of what you can offer.
“And this is a very valuable friend, who I am sure will be appreciated. Matty Smith, you are an incredible soul.”
Investigators are pictured at the scene of a bus crash near Greta in the NSW Hunter Valley on Monday, June 12, 2023
Some commentators also thanked the other people who made offers to victims and their families. “How wonderful to see so many people offering what they can,” one wrote.
“What a beautiful thing to do in this time of sorrow,” said another.
The driver of the bus, Brett Andrew Button, 58, was taken to hospital for a mandatory drug and alcohol test that came back negative.
Button was later transferred to Cessnock Police Station where he was charged with 10 counts of dangerous driving resulting in death and one additional charge of negligent driving resulting in death.