Victims' funerals held over four days

The Elim Christian College's chapel has become a focus as the school mourns the six lost students and their teacher. Photo / Kenny Rodger

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Seven funerals over four days will farewell the seven victims of Tuesday's tragedy.

And a memorial service will be held in mid-May at Elim Christian College, the place of work and study for teacher Tony McClean and the six students.

Parents of the victims are also preparing to head down to the Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre where the disaster happened.

They will be shown where their children died and will hold their own private memorial service there.

Details of that trip have yet to be finalised, but it is expected to be after all the funerals.

The times and places of the individual funerals were worked out last night to ensure none clashed, allowing grieving friends and families to attend each of the ceremonies.

For those close to the victims, the funerals will be part of a grieving process many have found hard to bear.

Peter Browning, church leader at Eastview Baptist Church in Howick where Tony McClean worshipped and his father John is the pastor, said the grief had been too much for some.

Tony McClean served as a youth pastor at the church for several years and was highly regarded for his integrity in that role by both young and old.

Mr Browning told the Herald last night that John McClean was coping as best he could and was focusing his energy on organising his son's funeral.

Friends and family of the McCleans had been pouring through the family home. Flowers were piled high in the living room and lined the hallway.

Meals had been prepared and delivered, and the church was doing all it could to give John and wife Jeanette the support they needed.

The church was finding the grief hard to cope with, but members' Christian faith was pulling them through, Mr Browning said.

"We've never had to deal with something like this before. And we've got numbers of people not coping.

"But this is bringing something special out. It's drawing strength and faith out of people," Mr Browning said.

Funeral details

Floyd Fernandes' funeral will be at 11am tomorrow.

On Monday, Portia McPhail will be farewelled at 9am, Tom Hsu at 10.30 and Natasha Bray at 1pm.

The next day, Anthony Mulder's farewell will be at 10.30am and Tony McClean's at 2pm.

Tara Gregory will be farewelled at 10.30am on Wednesday.

All the services will be in the Elim Christian Centre in Howick bar those for Tom Hsu (Howick Baptist Church) and Tara Gregory (St Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Otahuhu).

A graveside service for Anthony Mulder will be held at Manukau Memorial Gardens in Papatoetoe an hour before his memorial service.

Elim Christian College chairman Danie Vermuelen said the services would be open to the public.