Hot air balloonists in the small town of Canowindra, where Stephanie Scott grew up, have dedicated a flight to the murdered teacher.
In darkness, residents from the town in central western New South Wales began to gather on a local sports oval as 20 balloonists prepared to lift off.
At first light, the community released yellow helium balloons, while the hot air balloons took to the skies over the town.
“The balloonists from here and across the globe, here for an upcoming festival, wanted to dedicate a special flight to Stephanie Scott,” organiser Jan Kerr said.
Ms Scott was supposed to be married yesterday but was murdered last week.
For more: Australian women share their dresses in memory of Stephanie Scott. #putyourdressout
A burned body found in bushland yesterday is believed to be hers.
Balloonist Ruth Wilson said she hoped the event would bring the town some joy.
“I think it’s a wonderful opportunity to show that we care — [that] there can become something positive,” Ms Wilson said.
Yesterday, hundreds of people had gathered in Leeton to celebrate Ms Scott’s life on what would have been her wedding day, releasing bunches of yellow balloons into the sky.
Ms Scott’s family, including fiancé Aaron Leeson-Woolley, were joined by friends and hundreds of people from the community.
Vincent Stanford, a 24-year-old cleaner at the school where Ms Scott taught, has been charged with her murder and remains in custody to face court again in June.
See images from yesterday’s moving community gathering organised by Stephanie Scott’s family here:
Click through this gallery to see the beautiful tribute made by Australian women yesterday when they put out their special dresses in memory of Stephanie and all the women who have been murdered this year.
This article was originally published by ABC online.
