Picture gallery: MH17 disaster
Family remembered by friends and school mates
An Eynesbury family of five with connections to Melton, Caroline Springs and Bacchus Marsh are victims of the flight MH17 disaster.
Malaysian-born woman Shaliza Zain Dewa, 45, and her Dutch-born husband Johannes van den Hende had been on holiday in Amsterdam with their children Piers, Marnix and Margaux, aged 15, 12 and 8.
The children attended Bacchus Marsh Grammar.
A family friend said they had moved to Melbourne about seven years ago from Kuala Lumpur and lived in Caroline Springs before moving to Eynesbury about three years ago.
They had been on month-long holiday in the Netherlands and were on their way back to Australia, the friend said.
Piers, the eldest child, played soccer with Melton Phoenix Football Club’s under 15 team.
Club president, Steve Williamson, said the club community was devastated by the loss.
“They were great people, really nice people, a nice family and down to earth,” he said.
“It’s unbelievable … the mood (at the club) is very solemn.”
Mr Williamson said the club had canceled an under-15s game scheduled for tomorrow out of respect for the family.
Marnix, 12, was a swimmer with the Melton Swimming Club, and had broken his personal best record for the 50 metres butterfly as recently as March 29, according to the club’s website.
Margaux, the youngest child, was a member of a local dance group.
While the official number of Victorians killed in the crash is 10, the Prime Minister’s Office confirmed on Saturday afternoon that eight permanent residents from Victoria were also killed, taking the state total to 18.
Ms Dewa’s mother Datin Siti Dina was at Kula Lumpur airport, where the family were supposed to change planes for the final leg of their journey, and told local newspaper The Star she had contacted Mr Van Den Hende’s family.
“My friend and I watched the news on CNN as soon as I received the call,” she said. “I called up my son-in-law’s family immediately.”
A vigil will be held to remember the family at the Eynesbury Homestead at 4pm on Sunday.
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