Mitchell Gaffney and Madeleine Edsell Wiki – Mitchell Gaffney and Madeleine Edsell Biography
Mitchell Gaffney and Maddy Edsell have moved to the New South Wales mining town of Singleton to forge a new life together, but the fairytale wedding to begin the next phase of their lives will now be forever marred. They are teenage sweethearts who grew up in Warrandyte, the former gold mining town that is now a northeast suburb of Melbourne known for its wineries, scenic reserves and sports culture.
The Hunter Valley bus accident that followed the wedding of Mr. Gaffney and Mrs. Edsell on Sunday afternoon, claimed the lives of ten of the couple’s wedding guests and injured 21 others in a tragedy that shocked the nation. The bride and groom, who are not believed to have been on the bus, remained inside their Singleton home on Monday, comforted by around 15 family and friends.
It’s a terrifying turn of events for the popular sporting couple who changed state, moving from Victoria to New South Wales just six years ago. Back in Victoria, Mitchell Gaffney was something of a sporting phenomenon in the northeast Melbourne suburb of Warrandyte.
Teenage sweethearts’ fairytale wedding turns to tragedy
He played Australian rules football (five years for Warrandyte Bloods) as well as junior and senior cricket for Warrandyte, excelling at both. Maddy played basketball and in 2015 she was one of the few Warrandyte High School students to win a community scholarship to fund her first year of college. The talented student, who is one of several popular sisters, began dating Mitchell around this time.
Mitchell’s sporting prowess had made him a well-known figure in town; Record-breaking performances for Warrandyte Cricket Club’s Second XI had seen him become a first-ever youngster, and he too was named in the football club’s 2021 team of the decade.
Before getting married, he had been promoted to Coal Logistics and Quality Coordinator at Yancoal. After graduating from Warrandyte High School in 2011, Mitchell studied at the University of Melbourne, completing an MS in chemical engineering in 2016.
That title landed him a job at Yancoal Australia’s Hunter Valley operations as a process engineer and the couple moved to Singleton, also a former mining town. He and Maddy both joined the Singleton Roosters Aussie Rules club as players and volunteered at the monthly Singleton Parkrun community event.
While planning their wedding, the active couple competed in a half marathon alongside his friend Alex Tigani, who had agreed to MC their upcoming nuptials at Wandin Valley Estate in Hunter Valley.
Friends and family had been arriving in the region in the days leading up to the wedding, and Gaffney’s two close friends Dylan Burns and former Warrandyte Cricket Club teammate Brandon Stafford are believed to have been among the groomsmen. .
The wedding party headed to the winery, which is a 30-minute drive from Ms. Edsell and Mr. Gaffney’s Singleton home. The bride arrived at the ceremony in a restored 1952 Beetle convertible, which his father had been working on to get it ready in time for the wedding.
On Sunday, the couple stood out on the pontoon overlooking the dam on a perfect sunny afternoon and a celebrant performed his vows before about 100 guests. The crowd gathered for a group photo in the gardens before retreating inside for their reception, with Alex Tigani addressing the crowd, delivering speeches and the newlyweds cutting their cake.
Hours later, some guests left by car, while 35 boarded a bus chartered by Ling Buslines, including guests who had flown in from Melbourne for the ceremony. Just as the seemingly perfect day was drawing to a close, tragedy struck.
About 12 km from the venue, the bus rolled down Wine Country Drive near the town of Greta, and the crash killed ten passengers and injured 21 people. The 58-year-old driver was arrested and taken into custody at Cessnock Police Station but is believed to have tested negative for alcohol.
Warrandyte Cricket Club chairman Royce Jaksic confirmed on Monday that up to nine current players and their teammates were on the bus at the time of the accident. “I think one has a broken jaw, a couple have broken clavicles,” he told the Herald Sun.
“A lady may have a broken back, but all of our people are accounted for,” he said, adding that he did not believe club members or close friends were among the dead. NSW Police confirmed on Monday afternoon that the bodies of the deceased victims were still inside the bus at the crash site.
On Monday afternoon, a representative for the couple said they did not wish to comment.
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