Teacher Andre Vogel (left) and 16-year-old student Gabriel Runge were killed in a crash near Rotorua.
On November 28 last year staff from the Rotorua Daily Post were at the scene of a fatal car crash near Reporoa where Australian school student Gabriel Runge and one of his teachers, Andre Vogel, were killed.
Today, on Australia Day, and what would have been Gabriel's 17th birthday, we
run a letter sent to us by his family thanking everyone in Rotorua and New Zealand for their help, support and compassion during what has been a very tragic time in their lives.
A young man's life was cut short and two little girls have lost their father.
To lose a child, to lose the father of your children, in such a way must be excruciatingly painful and our thoughts go out to the Runge and Vogel families.
As a journalist, attending the scene of any crash is often a traumatic experience, one that too often happens on our roads.
