Macedon Ranges community honours Eleanor Bryant a year after fatal kindergarten truck crash
More than 100 Riddells Creek residents have honoured Eleanor Bryant one year after her death. (ABC Central Victoria: Emile Pavlich)
In short:
A new memorial garden at Riddells Creek has been unveiled to honour speech pathologist and mother-of-two Eleanor Bryant.
Ms Bryant's death a year ago rocked the small Macedon Ranges community.
What's next?
A foundation has been established in Eleanor Bryant's name to support aspiring regional allied healthcare workers.
Eleanor Bryant's selfless heroism in her final split-second actions on the day she died likely saved the lives of several children in her care.
Former Victoria Police chief commissioner Shane Patton said the 43-year-old speech pathologist acted "heroically" to move children out of the path of an out-of-control truck that smashed into their Montessori preschool in Riddells Creek, north-west of Melbourne.
In doing so, she was fatally struck.
"So brave, just so brave," Mr Patton said.
Eleanor Bryant with her husband, Tim, and children Charlie and Tully. (Supplied: Eleanor Bryant Memorial Fund)
The tragedy, on November 11, 2024, continues to rock the community.
Residents wore yellow ribbons to communicate with each other that they did not want to talk about the accident.
Twelve months on, a plaque bearing her name has been laid in a native flower garden in the town's main park in her honour.
The plaque, gum tree and native garden feature prominently in Lions Park in Riddells Creek (ABC Central Victoria: Emile Pavlich)
Legacy lives on
Eleanor's husband, Tim Bryant, looked over the sea of Riddells Creek residents who turned out to the park on Tuesday, an unseasonably cold November day.
"I've been overwhelmed with the support and can't thank each and every one of you enough," he said.
"We're all grieving but we need to celebrate her, and what a fitting memory."
Tim Bryant says he has been uplifted by the community support in Riddells Creek. (ABC Central Victoria: Emile Pavlich)
Mr Bryant and Eleanor's close friends have established The Eleanor Bryant Memorial Fund to provide scholarships to the next generation of allied health professionals from regional areas.
"It's been a really horrible 12 months, but I'm really proud of what we've achieved," he said.
The ABC understands the fund has already raised approximately $500,000.
"It's a way that we can honour Eleanor's legacy for years to come," Mr Bryant said.
Macedon Ranges Shire Council chief executive Bernie O'Sullivan said Eleanor's impact was clear from the love and commemoration shown by the crowd.
"Eleanor was a person of great warmth, generosity and quiet, but significant, impact," he said.
"As we gather 12 months on from the events, we pause to reflect, to remember and to honour a life that continues to inspire and resonate."
Victoria Police have confirmed no charges have been laid surrounding the crash.