The father of two young women swept to their deaths by the Samoan tsunami told their funeral yesterday they would have "fought hard" to survive.
Tears flowed as a huge crowd filled the hall at Matamata College to celebrate the lives of former students Rebecca Martin, 24, and her sister Petria, 22.
Their father Kerry was audibly surprised by the number of mourners, saying "oh my gosh" as he walked into the hall.
The audience of about 800, including celebrity couple Jay Reeve and Jessie Gurunathan, heard the Martin family thank relatives, friends and the public for their love and support.
The sisters' caskets stood side by side on the stage - Rebecca's purple, Petria's green - behind a blown-up photo of them smiling and wearing bunny ears.
In his eulogy, their father asked how something as exciting as a holiday in Samoa could go so wrong. "Why Rebecca and Petria? We may never have the answers to these questions."
Kerry said visiting Samoa with his wife Lynn last weekend had helped the farming family come to terms with their daughters' deaths.
"They would have fought hard but stood no chance," he said, his voice breaking. "We're proud of you girls and love you very much. They are at peace now. Their nana will have them in her arms."
Rebecca and Petria had two sisters. Older sister Kristi said growing up in a house with four girls "had its moments".
"We laughed, we cried, we joked, we fought and we loved together. After leaving home, us girls became best friends. We enjoyed time spent in each other's company. We loved getting together at birthdays and other special occasions."
The sisters had saved enough money to buy a house together in the Waikato. They found one shortly before their holiday after months of searching.
The pair attended Matamata Intermediate and Matamata College before Rebecca went to Waikato University to study primary education.
Petria rose through the ranks at Matamata Sports Centre and became a team leader.
Kristi said Rebecca was sensitive, caring and a "soft touch" who loved her job as a teacher. Petria, dubbed "poker face", loved rowing and never complained about the early morning starts or blisters on her hands. "Petria was a strong girl," said Kristi. "Bex was our little mother hen helping around the house and starting dinner for mum if she was still at the cowshed." Kristi ended her eulogy by urging her sisters to "take care of each other. You're now gone from our sights but never our memories. Gone from our touch but never our hearts. Rest in peace sweet angels. We love you and always will."
Rebecca's boss from Rototuna School, Mike Sutton, spoke of a young, enthusiastic and hard-working teacher. "She always had a vibrant room where children loved to learn. She was a team player because she always helped others. She had a bright future."
A colleague of Petria's, Nicole Bradley, said she was a reliable and fun-loving girl, who was capable of running the sports centre on her own.
The hour-long celebration was followed by a private burial at Matamata Cemetery. The family asked for donations to the tsunami relief effort.
How to donate to tsunami relief operations:
Pacific Cooperation Foundation
Deposits can be made at at any Westpac branch. All the money raised will go to the Samoan Government
Red Cross
- Make a secure online donation at redcross.org.nz
- Send cheques to the Samoan Red Cross Fund, PO Box 12140, Thorndon, Wellington 6144
- Call 0900 31 100 to make an automatic $20 donation
- Make a donation at any NZ Red Cross office
ANZ bank
Make a donation at any ANZ bank branch, or donate directly to the ANZ appeal account: 01 1839 0143546 00
Oxfam
- Make a secure online donation at Oxfam.org.nz
- Phone 0800 400 666 or make an automatic $20 donation by calling 0900 600 20
Caritas
- Make a secure online donation at Caritas.org.nz
- Phone 0800 22 10 22 or make an automatic $20 donation by calling 0900 4 11 11
TEAR fund
- Make a secure online donation at tearfund.co.nz
- Phone 0800 800 777 to specify Samoa the Philippines or Indonesia. You can also donate at CD and DVD stores.
Mercury Energy
- Donate at mercury.co.nz
or text the word Samoa followed by the amount you wish to pledge and your Mercury account number to 515 or by calling 0800 10 18 10.
Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity is asking for help with the clean-up habitat.org.nz
Unicef
Make a secure online donation unicef.org.nz
or phone on 0800 800 194
