A Blue Mountains community has made a heartbreaking farewell to brothers Ben and Russell Smith, who were found dead in their Blue Mountains home earlier this month.
Russell, 11, and Ben, nine, were found by their father Nick Smith at their Faulconbridge home on September 10.
Today, in a pre-recorded eulogy, their father said goodbye to his “beautiful boys” during a memorial service in Springwood.
“It has been an absolute, absolute privilege to be your father … I will always hold you so dear to my heart,” Smith said.
He spoke about the brothers’ love for fishing and the Penrith Panthers.
“As soon as they caught that first fish, that was it. We wanted to go and try and catch as many fish as we could.”
Smith finished with a heartfelt message for his sons.
“Russ and Ben I love you so much, I will never stop loving you,” he said.
The local priest also spoke, asking the question at the forefront of the community’s mind.
“Why? Why these two beautiful children? Why Russell and Ben and to be honest I don’t have the answer to that question,” he said.
The boys’ classmates were also in attendance, with their school, Our Lady of the Nativity, closed for the day.
The boys, referred to as best mates, were laid to rest together both sharing the same coffin.
