The father of one of the five teenagers killed when a speeding driver crashed into trees at Buxton last September is urging families to talk to young people about the consequences of unsafe driving.
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John Van De Putte, father of 14-year-old Lily, launched his campaign 'Think of the Five, Arrive ALIVE' shortly before Tyrell Edwards pleaded guilty at Picton Local Court on Thursday to five counts of aggravated dangerous driving occasioning death.
Edwards, 19, will be sentenced in the District Court at a later date for the deaths of Lily, Summer Williams, Antonio Desisto, Gabriella McLennan and Tyrese Bechard, but has already been taken into custody.
Mr Van De Putte was at court, along with other members of the bereaved families, to hear Edwards enter his pleas.
"It's a weird feeling. It's something that should never have happened. We should never be there," Mr Van De Putte said.
"[Edwards'] actions have consequences and now he's got to handle those consequences.
"We live with those consequences every day. Every morning we wake up, we think about our children.
"In the evenings, the last thing we think about is our child that's died.
"It's just sad. There's just no winners."
He said he did not have the energy to be angry towards Edwards, and he could not live with hate in his heart.
"I just want other people to learn from the experience, so no one ever has to go through what family members are going through at the moment," Mr Van De Putte said.
That is why he has just launched the Think of the Five campaign, starting with a Facebook page and a call to the community to put out five coloured balloons - silver, pink, blue, orange and purple, for each of the teenagers - in the first week of September each year as a reminder.
Mr Van De Putte wants people to tell their children, their friends and their partners: "Don't drive like a dick".
"Because we talk about everything with our children, but we never really sit down and talk to them about how important it is to be safe in a vehicle... We're losing three people a day dying in car accidents every day in Australia, and that's horrific," he said.
Mr Van De Putte hopes these conversations will also empower young people to speak up or get out if they find themselves in a vehicle being driven in an unsafe manner.
People needed to learn that driving was a privilege, he said, not a right and they had to treat it that way.
Mr Van De Putte would like to see legislative changes, such as harsher penalties for speeding and longer licence suspension or disqualification periods, and the introduction of technology to better monitor repeat offenders.
He also wants more uniformity in laws across the country.
"Get the message out there - as soon as you put your ignition on in your car, it's like putting your finger on a loaded gun - you're in charge of a weapon," he said.
Mr Van De Putte said Edwards' guilty pleas on Thursday brought home the realisation that Lily - his compassionate, funny daughter - was not coming back.
In the 11 months since she died, he has not been able to go into her room and can't event be inside the house if someone opens the door.
"It's been like living on the outside looking in," he said.
Reminders of Lily are present every day, but these are what he holds on to.
"Just memories everywhere, you know good memories. They're the memories I want to keep," Mr Van De Putte said.
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Natalie Croxon
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
