A much-loved Australian mother is being mourned by her two daughters after dying in a horror car crash on her way to a Year Six graduation ceremony.
Rebecca Smith, 40, died when the Toyota HiLux she was driving crashed and rolled over in Taldora, about 1,500km northwest of Brisbane, on November 19.
The Outback postman was on her way to the graduation ceremony of her youngest daughter Lacy, 12, when she crashed.
Emergency services arrived on the scene, but the mother-of-two could not be saved.
Lacy and her 18-year-old sister Kaylah, her mother’s closest family members, are now mourning the loss of their “happy” and “vibrant” mother.
Kaylah lives in Herberton in Queensland’s Tablelands region with her father Steven Dotchin, who first met Ms Smith when they were 16 years old.
Mr Dotchin said Ms Smith’s family and close-knit community were devastated.
“It’s tough, tough to swallow,” he told the newspaper Courier mail.
Rebecca Smith (pictured) died in a horror car crash on her way to a graduation ceremony
Mrs Smith, an outback postal worker, crashed near Taldora, Queensland, last week
“She worked for the Postal Service delivering mail to cattle stations and tried to return to graduation and was in a tragic car accident,” he said.
“It was a horrible night, and being in Julia Creek, they’re in the middle of nowhere.”
Mr Dotchin said Ms Smith had lived in the outback town for some time and would be remembered as “vibrant” and the “life of the party”.
He started with one GoFundMe to raise money for Kaylah and Lacy.
“In light of this devastating event, her two daughters are not only struggling with the emotional impact of the loss of their mother, but also facing the challenges associated with financial stability and housing,” he wrote.
“The money raised through this campaign will be used to secure the girls’ future and facilitate their relocation, along with that of their horses and dogs,” he wrote.
Mr Dotchin said Kaylah is Ms Smith’s next of kin and will raise Lacy with her partner.
Mrs Smith will be cremated in Townsville and farewell will be said at a funeral service in Julia Creek on Tuesday.