Father of Hunter Valley bus crash victim Zach Bray recalls the moment he released his son had died

The devastated father of Hunter Valley bus crash victim Zachary Bray has shared the heartbreaking moment he realised his ‘hero’ son had died.  

Adam Bray drove three hours from NSW’s Southern Highlands to the crash site near Greta after he was unable to locate his son, 29, at any of the hospitals nearby. 

‘I’m banging the car door, I’m trying to focus, I’m calling out to him … so my focus is on Zach,’ Mr Bray recalled of the morning of June 11.

‘When I arrived at the crash I was told to wait for news at a nearby cafe, I absolutely wasn’t going to do that.’ 

Mr Bray told 9News that he was stopped by police when he tried to walk up the embankment towards the bus, which was still on its side.

‘I just said, “my son’s on that bus”, and they said to me, “if your son is on that bus, honestly you don’t want to see him”.’

‘I just sat on the ground, on my own, and broke down, for an hour.’

Zach had attended the wedding at Wandin Estate Winery as a friend of both bride and groom Madeleine Edsell and Mitchell Gaffney and was mates with most of the passengers on board the privately chartered bus. 

He was one of ten people who lost their lives when the coach that was transporting wedding guests crashed and flipped at a roundabout near the Hunter Expressway off-ramp at Greta.

Mr Bray was joined by friends and family at North Curl Curl Beach on Sydney’s northern beaches to take part in a memorial paddle for his son on Saturday.

‘I never thought that I’d be sitting in the circle with all his mates and my mates,’ he said while struggling to hold back tears. 

‘He would have been deeply, deeply moved. It’s overwhelming, it’s really incredible. I don’t think I could have got through that without that [support].’

‘He’s a true fighter … it’s been a transition from me being his hero to him being my hero,’ the proud father added. 

‘It’s a shock that I’m never going to get over, that his mum’s never going to get over.’

‘I do want justice.’

Adam Bray shared the devastating moment when he ‘sat on the ground’ and ‘broke down’ after he realised his son hadn’t survived the crash (father and son are pictured)

Close friends and family of Zachary Bray paddled out into the surf at Curl Curl Beach on Saturday morning to honour the 29-year-old (pictured)

Mr Varasadi, Zachary Bray’s stepfather, said he was woken the morning after the wedding by his wife’s screams as she read a headline about the horror crash

Andrew Varasadi, Mr Bray’s stepfather, awoke to his wife’s screams as she read a headline about the horror crash the morning after the wedding.

He frantically rang his stepson before checking the location of his phone – which revealed the device was at a roundabout in Greta. 

‘(It) sounds weird to hope that your son’s in ICU but that’s what we were hoping for,’ Mr Varasdi told 7News.

‘But then we found out he wasn’t in ICU, so there was only one option left.’

His uncle, Haydon Bray, said it was ‘beyond belief’ that he had died this way.

‘He fought and fought and fought and went through some horrible times to come out the other end,’ he said.

‘(It’s) beyond belief. Brutal.’

The 29-year-old had recently overcome a battle with bowel cancer and is being remembered as a hero who had dreams of becoming a fighter jet pilot. 

Mr Bray (pictured) was a vocal advocate for early prevention of bowel cancer before he died

Ten people lost their lives after a bus transporting wedding guests crashed at a roundabout on Wine Country Drive near the Hunter Expressway off-ramp at Greta (pictured)

The driver of the bus, Brett Andrew Button, 58, appeared in court on Tuesday where he remained silent during the entirety of his bail application.

He has been charged with 10 counts of dangerous driving causing death. 

Mr Bray’s Singleton Roosters teammates paid tribute to the keen AFL player and other club members lost in the crash with a community run on Saturday. 

Many local players wore armbands during their games to honour the 10 victims.