Sydney Seaplane pilot killed in Hawkesbury River crash farewelled at funeral
Updated
The pilot killed when a plane crashed into a river in Sydney's north on New Year's Eve had flown in challenging conditions around the world and chose flying over competitive soccer, those gathered at his funeral service heard today.
Gareth Morgan, 44, was one of six people who died when the Sydney Seaplanes charter hit the water at Jerusalem Bay on the Hawkesbury.
The crash was witnessed by many New Year's Eve revellers who were in the area picnicking on the riverbank, boating and fishing.
The five British passengers who lost their lives in the crash were chief executive of catering giant Compass, Richard Cousins, his two sons, his fiancee and her 11-year-old daughter.
More than 100 people, including Mr Morgan's mother and father from Vancouver Island in Canada, colleagues and the managing director of Sydney Seaplanes Aaron Shaw, attended his funeral today.
Mr Shaw said his team were there to celebrate Mr Morgan and support his family, and described him as a "great pilot and a great man".
Mr Morgan, who was born in Sydney and moved to Canada with his family as boy, had been looking at professional soccer career but decided to become a pilot, his father Rusty Morgan said during the service.
"He tried out with a professional team in Liverpool [but] he decided this is not what he wanted to do with his life," he said.
'Gareth, you have come home'
Rusty Morgan showed those at the service a slide show of his son's life and described his love for flying "float" planes.
"He loved a challenge … from the Arctic to the tropics," he said.
He told the crowd his son had represented Canada in soccer.
And he described how police recovered his son's car keys from the water and when they opened his car found a Bible next to the driver's seat.
Mr Morgan's mother Orlis fought back tears as she described her son as funny, kind, gentle, classy and a devout Christian.
"There are not enough words in the English language to begin to describe the depth of his soul, the warmth of his smile and the clear blue of his eyes," she said.
"Gareth, you have come home."
Mr Morgan had re-joined Sydney Seaplanes in May 2017, having previously spent three years with the company.
Mr Morgan's ashes will be flown back to Canada where memorial services will also be held in the coming weeks.
Crash under investigation
The 55-year-old de Haviland DHC-2 Beaver seaplane Mr Morgan was piloting when it crashed had previously been a crop duster involved in a fatal accident that killed its pilot 20 years ago.
The plane was rebuilt and bought by Sydney Seaplanes in 2006.
The ATSB is still investigating what happened in the final moments of the Hawkesbury River crash but said there was no evidence of any systemic problems with the plane.
Topics: death, accidents---other, accidents, sydney-2000, waverley-2024, cowan-2081
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