A Footscray priest is appealing for help to pay for the funerals of three children who died when their mother’s car crashed car into a Wyndham Vale lake last Wednesday.
Akon Guode’s one-year-old son Bol, four-year-old son Madit and his twin sister Anger died when their mother’s car careened into Lake Gladman in a crash that remains under police investigation.
Chaplain Soma Jackson, parish priest for the Anglican Church of Footscray, said any funds towards the funerals would help the family, who already face a heavy financial and emotional burden.
“They are already struggling with this terrible loss. One of the difficulties they are facing is, normally, the community will put their hands together to help with one funeral but, with three, this will make it very difficult for them.”
Father Jackson said, as well as the funerals, a memorial service would be held a few days later for each child.
He said the family is well known through church and social occasions as happy and friendly. The chaplain said he had stayed in close contact with them throughout the past week and said Ms Guode remained devastated by the incident.
“In our culture, the parents are living to support the children – if you needed to die to let your child live, that is what would happen, so she feels it would be better if she died herself.”
Father Jackson said Awel, the only child to survive, was still recovering in hospital. Grieving father Joseph Tito Manyang said the funeral services would be open to the public.
To help
To inquire about making a donation, email footscrayanglicanparish@gmail.com.
Joseph Tito Manyang holds a picture of his daughter Awel, who survived the accident that killed three of his other children last Wednesday. Photo: Pat Scala/Fairfax Media
