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Aussie billionaire's ambitious mission to recover family remains

<p>Australia's richest man is undertaking an ambitious mission to bring the remains of a long-lost loved one home, to keep a promise he made to his father before he died. </p> <p>Andrew 'Twiggy' Forrest's uncle was one of many Australians who died during the conflict in Papua New Guinea in the 1940s. </p> <p>David Forrest was shot down piloting his RAAF Beaufort bomber into an attack on a Japanese-held airstrip at Gasmata in Papua New Guinea in 1943.</p> <p>The loss has haunted the family ever since, as David's remains were never found. </p> <p>"[We] got the letter, from the king in those days, saying that uncle David was missing and presumed killed in action," Twiggy told <a href="https://9now.nine.com.au/a-current-affair/aussie-billionaire-andrew-twiggy-forrests-search-to-find-loved-ones-lost-in-world-war-ii/9c042a41-c3d1-4b73-af6e-af40c983b81b" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>A Current Affair</em></a>. </p> <p>"Dad went through extreme emotions and grief and since that day he never cried for the rest of his life.</p> <p>"For the next 80 years he couldn't shed a tear it was just overwhelming for him."</p> <p>Twiggy's dad Donald had long said he wanted to hold his brother's dog tags before he died, but after passing away last year at the age 95, he was unable to fulfil his final wish. </p> <p>"Unfortunately we lost dad six months ago so I haven't fulfilled that, but it's really to put closure around something that really wrenched our family," he said.</p> <p>In order to bring closure to the family, Twiggy and his sister Janine have travelled to PNG onboard a purpose-built research vessel and joined by a crew of experts, including marine archeologists.</p> <p>The mission has been ongoing for many years with the blessing of the PNG government and the assistance of RAAF members, but has remained under wraps until now. </p> <p>In 2021, the family thought they had a breakthrough with their mission. </p> <p>"It was really emotional, very heart-wrenching as you went down into the depths thinking, 'Am I going to dive on uncle David's plane and be part of solving the mystery maybe of his remains maybe even his dog tags?'</p> <p>The serial number on David Forrest's Beaufort bomber was A9-188, but the bomber they'd found was A9-186.</p> <p>"I had to tell Dad I can confirm it was a Beaufort bomber, I can confirm it was Australians, but I have to confirm it wasn't your brother's. That was tough."</p> <p>While Twiggy admitted that the chances of finding his uncle's remains are slim, he said he owed it to his father to keep looking. </p> <p>"For my kids and myself, the standard I hold myself to is doing your absolute best," he said. </p> <p>"It's not whether or not you achieve it, it's did you do your best?"</p> <p><em>Image credits: A Current Affair </em></p>

International Travel

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'Australia's Forrest Gump' reaches major milestone

<p>The man dubbed Australia's Forrest Gump has arrived back Down Under to complete the final leg of a mammoth journey. </p> <p>Tim Franklin has long dreamed of becoming the fastest person to run from one end of the world to the other, and has already completed most of his journey. </p> <p>The 40-year-old has run over 19,000 kilometres through 17 countries across five continents, setting off on his epic adventure in December 2022. </p> <p>With a world record in his sights, has been averaging more than a marathon a day for the past 427 days, as he battled floods, snow, exhaustion and injury on his travels. </p> <p>The worst of his hurdles came when his father was dying, as he decided to pause his journey to come home and say his goodbyes to the man he describes as "my hero, my mentor".</p> <p>"That message he gave me of 'go out and finish that damn run' was the last thing he said to me before he passed away," Franklin told <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/australias-forrest-gump-tim-franklin-lands-australia-final-leg-tim-runs-the-world/c3dac7d4-8c71-4fc5-84e2-4fbd2fb5af61" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>9News</em></a>.</p> <p>The pause in proceedings knocked him out of world record pace but it didn't derail his dream and only further fuelling the fire for him to achieve his goals. </p> <p>In order to "officially" run around the world, certain kilometres need to completed in each continent.</p> <p>Franklin started his journey in New Zealand, before heading coast to coast across the US, then South America, and across from Spain through Europe to the Black Sea.</p> <p>After a short stint in Asia he decided to head back to Australia, landing in Perth to a surprise greeting from his siblings.</p> <p>Now, it's the beginning of the end as Franklin makes his way from Perth to Brisbane, via Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney.</p> <p>"[I'm] really excited to be back here in Aus for the last leg of my run."</p> <p>When he finally reaches Queensland, his friends and family will be waiting but there's one thing the 40-year-old is looking forward to most.</p> <p>"I just wanna give my mum a hug to be honest," he said.</p> <p><em>Image credits: 9News</em></p>

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Mining tycoon's father dies aged 95

<p>Andrew "Twiggy" Forrest's father, Donald Forrest, peacefully passed away at their ancestral Western Australian home at the age of 95 on a Sunday morning.</p> <p>In a heartfelt obituary, the Forrest family shared, "Don passed away peacefully in his sleep, knowing he was with people and places he loved."</p> <p>“We all wish him well in his onward journey.</p> <p>“He goes with the love, deep affection and enduring memories of all those whose lives his 95-year history has embraced.</p> <p>“His legacy will be cherished by all who knew him.”</p> <p>Donald was remembered as a “loving husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, stepfather, uncle and patriarch”.</p> <p>The family will host his funeral on Sunday October 1 “at his beloved Minderoo Station”, which has been in the family for four generations and is located in WA’s Pilbara region.</p> <p>A memorial service will be held in Perth afterwards for family and friends unable to attend his funeral. </p> <p>The Forrest patriarch is survived by his wife Marie, sons David and Andrew and daughter Jane.</p> <p>The sad news comes just two months after Andrew announced his <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/relationships/australia-s-richest-couple-call-it-quits" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shock split</a> from his wife of 31 years, Nicola. </p> <p>Andrew and Nicola, who are known as Australia's richest couple, have <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/relationships/the-real-reason-behind-australia-s-richest-couple-s-split" target="_blank" rel="noopener">insisted </a>that the divorce won't affect the direction of their mining empire or philanthropic interests. </p> <p><em>Image: Getty </em></p>

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The real reason behind Australia's richest couple's split

<p>Andrew 'Twiggy' Forrest has broken his silence on his shock split from his wife of 31 years, saying the decision to separate was "better for everyone". </p> <p>The mining magnate and his wife Nicole, who are known as Australia's richest couple, <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/relationships/australia-s-richest-couple-call-it-quits" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced their divorce</a> in a joint statement in July, saying they would remain friends and colleagues. </p> <p>At a trade forum in Perth on Wednesday, the Fortescue Metals Group CEO opened up about the split for the first time. </p> <p>"Nic and I are good mates, we speak all the time she's a fantastic lady," Mr Forrest told <em><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/andrew-forrest-twiggy-split-nicola-forrest-first-interview-fortescue-metals-group/b278d0bb-867b-40df-b157-573ce8cc2a8f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nine News</a></em>.</p> <p>"We made the call that it was better for everyone if we didn't live right on top of each other but we still absolutely support each other."</p> <p>Since announcing their split, the couple have insisted the separation won't affect the direction of their mining empire or philanthropic interests. </p> <p>Mr Forrest was asked what assurances he could give to shareholders that the former couple's new arrangement wouldn't impact the business, to which he announced that his estranged wife is now Fortescue's largest shareholder.</p> <p>"I give them complete reassurance - Nic and I are lockstep on that," Mr Forrest added.</p> <p>"We are completely committed to Fortescue, to Tattarang, all the objectives of Mindaroo, we are completely united."</p> <p>The news of the Forrest's split comes after Mr Forrest gave Ms Forrest half the ownership of their flagship company, Tattarang, and more than $1.1 billion worth of Fortescue shares was moved into a new company, Coaxial Ventures, owned by her, according to the <em><a title="Australian Financial Review" href="https://www.afr.com/companies/mining/andrew-and-nicola-forrest-to-pursue-separate-lives-20230712-p5dnpi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Australian Financial Review</a></em>.</p> <p>Mr Forrest remains Australia's second-richest person in the latest AFR <a title="Rich List" href="http://Australian%20Financial%20Review's%20annual%20Rich%20List" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rich List</a>, with an estimated wealth of $31.44 billion, as only fellow mining magnate Gina Rinehart is richer, with $44.33 billion to her name.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Relationships

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Bombshell twist in split between Australia's richest couple

<p>Just days after announcing their separation, there has been a bombshell twist in the split between Australia's richest couple Andrew and Nicola Forrest. </p> <p>The couple, who were married for 31 years and have a shared fortune of $32 billion, <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/relationships/australia-s-richest-couple-call-it-quits" target="_blank" rel="noopener">confirmed their separation</a> in a joint statement on Wednesday after living apart for months.</p> <p>During those months apart, it has been revealed that Andrew's own mining company investigated allegations he had a secret relationship with an employee.</p> <p>The board of Mr Forrest's company Fortescue Metals Group became aware of an anonymous letter that made allegations against the mining billionaire while the Forrests were figuring out their separation. </p> <p>The board contacted an outside law firm to investigate claims made in the letter about the behaviour of the executive chairman towards a lower level employee. </p> <p>The Australian Financial Review reported the investigation included a review of whether he had a relationship with an employee at the mining company, with the investigation concluding that the allegations were unsubstantiated.</p> <p>"The directors of Fortescue became aware of an anonymous letter concerning the behaviour of the executive chairman," Fortescue Metals said in a statement.</p> <p>"The board immediately met and engaged Seyfarth Shaw LLP, to independently investigate the letter and provide a report. Seyfarth Shaw LLP provided a full report to the board."</p> <p>"The investigation concluded that none of the matters in the letter were substantiated. There were no adverse findings."</p> <p>It added that Mr Forrest was excluded from the investigation as "it related to him".</p> <p>Fortescue went on to say that the report in full would not be released to shareholders or to the public.  </p> <p>The revelations the investigation emerged just days after Andrew and Nicola announced their separation. </p> <p>"After 31 years of marriage, we have made the decision to live apart," the couple said in a joint statement.</p> <p>"Our friendship and commitment to our family remains strong."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images </em></p>

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Australia's richest couple call it quits

<p>Australia's richest couple have announced their separation after 31 years of marriage. </p> <p>Andrew and Nicola Forrest, who made their fortune through their mining company Fortescue Metals, said their split would have no impact on their work projects. </p> <p>"After 31 years of marriage, we have made the decision to live apart," the couple said in a joint statement.</p> <p>"Our friendship and commitment to our family remains strong."</p> <p>"There is no impact on the operations, control or direction of Fortescue, Minderoo or Tattarang."</p> <p>The couple said they would aim to convey a sense of stability for their business during the transition.</p> <p>"We will continue our shared mission to create and gift our wealth to tackle community and global challenges, as recently shown by last month's donation of one-fifth of our Fortescue shareholding to Minderoo Foundation," they said.</p> <p>The news of their split comes after Mr Forrest gave Ms Forrest half the ownership of their flagship company, Tattarang, and more than $1.1 billion worth of Fortescue shares was moved into a new company, Coaxial Ventures, owned by her, according to the <em><a title="Australian Financial Review" href="https://www.afr.com/companies/mining/andrew-and-nicola-forrest-to-pursue-separate-lives-20230712-p5dnpi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Australian Financial Review</a></em>.</p> <p>Mr Forrest remains Australia's second-richest person in the latest AFR <a title="Rich List" href="http://Australian Financial Review's annual Rich List" target="" rel="">Rich List</a>, with an estimated wealth of $31.44 billion, as only fellow mining magnate Gina Rinehart is richer, with $44.33 billion to her name.</p> <p>After amassing their billions in the mining industry, the Forrests founded the philanthropic Minderoo Foundation in 2001.</p> <p>Its work in recent years has included several environmental projects and supplying millions of Covid-19 tests to Australia in the early days of the pandemic.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

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Researchers use Forrest Gump in brain study

<div><div class="copy"><p>Watching the 1994 Tom Hanks movie <em>Forrest Gump</em> may have affected you in strange and unusual ways.</p><p>British research suggests that throughout the two-hour Hollywood blockbuster the response of your hippocampus, the part of your brain associated with memories, was more likely influenced by subjective event boundaries than by specific transitions between scenes, such as changes in location.</p><p>This suggests the hippocampus is sensitive to meaningful units of experience rather than perceptual cues. If that is correct, it likely means that the brain region plays an important role in segmenting our continuous everyday experience into discrete events for storage in long-term memory.</p><p>The research, carried out by Aya Ben-Yakov and Richard Henson at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at the University of Cambridge, UK, is among the first to investigate hippocampal function during a natural experience.</p><p>The scientists recruited two groups of volunteers.  The first was asked to watch Forrest Gump, while the second was shown an abridged version of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1961 television drama <em>Bang! You’re Dead</em>, edited from 30 minutes down to eight.</p><p>In each participant, the hippocampus responded as the researchers hypothesised it would.</p><p>“We observed a strong hippocampal response at boundaries defined by independent observers, which was modulated by boundary strength (the number of observers that identified each boundary),” <a href="https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0524-18.2018" target="_blank" rel="noopener">they write in a paper</a> published in the journal <em>JNeurosci</em>.</p><p>“In the longer film, there were sufficient boundaries to show that this modulation remained after co-varying out a large number of perceptual factors.</p><p>“The hippocampus was the only brain region whose response showed a significant monotonic increase with boundary strength in both films, suggesting that modulation by boundary strength is selective to the hippocampus.”</p><p>The hippocampus is one of the most widely-studied regions in the human brain, with research suggesting it has <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-happens-in-the-hippocampus-32589" target="_blank" rel="noopener">many roles</a>, including assisting with navigation and direction, as well as memory formation.</p><p>The aim of Ben-Yakov and Henson was not to test how the hippocampus responds in specific situations, but to expose it to a continuous stream of complex information and thus gain an insight into how it behaves in a naturalistic setting.</p><p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p><div class="newsletter-box"><div id="wpcf7-f6-p22848-o1" class="wpcf7" dir="ltr" lang="en-US" role="form"><p><em><span class="wpcf7-form-control-wrap referer-page"></span></em></p><p><em><!-- Chimpmail extension by Renzo Johnson --></em></p></div></div><em><!-- Start of tracking content syndication. Please do not remove this section as it allows us to keep track of republished articles --> <img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="height: 1px!important;width: 1px!important;border: 0!important" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=22848&amp;title=Researchers+use+Forrest+Gump+in+brain+study" width="1" height="1" data-spai-target="src" data-spai-orig="" data-spai-exclude="nocdn" /> <!-- End of tracking content syndication --></em></div><div id="contributors"><p><em>This article was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/researchers-deploy-forrest-gump-in-brain-study/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cosmosmagazine.com</a> and was written by Nick Carne. </em></p></div></div>

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Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest launches criminal case against Facebook

<p dir="ltr">Billionaire mining magnate Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest has <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-60238985" target="_blank" rel="noopener">launched</a> a criminal case against Facebook over allegations the company failed to prevent scams from using his image, in what he says will be the first criminal case the social media site has faced globally.</p><p dir="ltr">He claims that Facebook breached Australian anti-money laundering laws in relation to the spread of cryptocurrency scams.</p><p dir="ltr">Meta, the company that owns Facebook, has not commented on Dr Forrest’s case but said it was “committed to keeping those people [scammers] off our platform”.</p><p><span id="docs-internal-guid-bfa67ebe-7fff-4f49-77f6-c0b40062082a"></span></p><p dir="ltr">The scams that use Dr Forrest’s image - and those of other celebrities - promote bogus investments that promise rich returns.</p><p dir="ltr"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/02/d334da2d4f26441a3bb885ecbd284461-e1643840552644.jpeg" alt="" width="468" height="624" /></p><p dir="ltr"><em>An example of the scams circulating on Facebook using Andrew Forrest's image. Image: <a href="https://www.crikey.com.au/2022/02/03/andrew-forrest-sues-facebook-over-scam-ads-in-world-first-action/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Crikey</a></em></p><p dir="ltr">Although the platform bans these kinds of ads, many still appear.</p><p dir="ltr">Dr Forrest, the former CEO of Fortescue Metals who has a PhD in Marine Science, has alleged that Facebook had been “criminally reckless” in not doing more to stop the ads which first began appearing in early 2019.</p><p dir="ltr">He said he had also written an open letter in November 2019 addressed to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, urging him to take action.</p><p dir="ltr">“I’m concerned about innocent Australians being scammed through clickbait advertising on social media,” Forrest said in a statement on Thursday.</p><p dir="ltr">“I’m acting here for Australians, but this is happening all over the world.”</p><p dir="ltr">Under Australian law, the consent of the attorney-general is needed in order to privately prosecute foreign corporations for alleged offences under the Commonwealth Criminal Code.</p><p dir="ltr">“The Attorney-General has given her consent to the private prosecution against Facebook in relation to alleged offences under subsection 400.7(2) of the Criminal Code,” Stephen Lewis, the principal of Mark O’Brien Legal which will be representing Mr Forrest, told <em><a href="https://www.afr.com/technology/andrew-forrest-sues-facebook-over-scam-ads-20220203-p59tlw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AFR</a></em>.</p><p dir="ltr">Dr Forrest has also filed a civil lawsuit in California, where Facebook’s headquarters are located.</p><p dir="ltr">According to <em><a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/andrew-twiggy-forrest-takes-on-facebook-in-court-lobbing-worldfirst-criminal-charges-at-the-tech-giant/news-story/bf74fe229f470253ffa8d94abbbb5688" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Australian</a></em>, he is alleging in that suit that Facebook “knowingly profits from this cycle of illegal ads.</p><p dir="ltr">Citing court documents, the newspaper reported that one victim had lost $940,000 ($1 million NZD) because of a fake endorsement featuring Dr Forrest.</p><p dir="ltr">In a statement to media, the social media company said scam ads violated its policies and that it takes a “multifaceted approach” to stopping them.</p><p dir="ltr">“We work not just to detect and reject the ads themselves but also block advertisers from our services and, in some cases, take court action to enforce our policies,” a Meta representative said.</p><p dir="ltr">Dr Forrest’s case in Australia will be heard in the Magistrates Court of Western Australia from March 28.</p><p dir="ltr">If he is successful, the social media platform could face a maximum penalty of $126,000 ($135,000 NZD) on each of three charges.</p><p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-089583bc-7fff-7c35-d766-b26af1b226a2"></span></p><p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

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Researchers use Forrest Gump in brain study

<p>Watching the 1994 Tom Hanks movie <em>Forrest Gump</em> may have affected you in strange and unusual ways.</p> <p>British research suggests that throughout the two-hour Hollywood blockbuster the response of your hippocampus, the part of your brain associated with memories, was more likely influenced by subjective event boundaries than by specific transitions between scenes, such as changes in location.</p> <p>This suggests the hippocampus is sensitive to meaningful units of experience rather than perceptual cues. If that is correct, it likely means that the brain region plays an important role in segmenting our continuous everyday experience into discrete events for storage in long-term memory.</p> <p>The research, carried out by Aya Ben-Yakov and Richard Henson at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at the University of Cambridge, UK, is among the first to investigate hippocampal function during a natural experience.</p> <p>The scientists recruited two groups of volunteers.  The first was asked to watch <em>Forrest Gump</em>, while the second was shown an abridged version of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1961 television drama Bang! You’re Dead, edited from 30 minutes down to eight.</p> <p>In each participant, the hippocampus responded as the researchers hypothesised it would.</p> <p>“We observed a strong hippocampal response at boundaries defined by independent observers, which was modulated by boundary strength (the number of observers that identified each boundary),” <a rel="noopener" href="https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0524-18.2018" target="_blank">they write in a paper</a> published in the journal <em>JNeurosci</em>.</p> <p>“In the longer film, there were sufficient boundaries to show that this modulation remained after co-varying out a large number of perceptual factors.</p> <p>“The hippocampus was the only brain region whose response showed a significant monotonic increase with boundary strength in both films, suggesting that modulation by boundary strength is selective to the hippocampus.”</p> <p>The hippocampus is one of the most widely-studied regions in the human brain, with research suggesting it has <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-happens-in-the-hippocampus-32589" target="_blank">many roles</a>, including assisting with navigation and direction, as well as memory formation.</p> <p>The aim of Ben-Yakov and Henson was not to test how the hippocampus responds in specific situations, but to expose it to a continuous stream of complex information and thus gain an insight into how it behaves in a naturalistic setting.</p> <div class="newsletter-box"> <div id="wpcf7-f6-p22848-o1" class="wpcf7"> <p style="display: none !important;"> </p> <p><!-- Chimpmail extension by Renzo Johnson --></p> </div> </div> <p><!-- Start of tracking content syndication. Please do not remove this section as it allows us to keep track of republished articles --></p> <p><img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=22848&amp;title=Researchers+use+Forrest+Gump+in+brain+study" alt="" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><!-- End of tracking content syndication --></p> <div id="contributors"> <p><em><a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/researchers-deploy-forrest-gump-in-brain-study/">This article</a> was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/nick-carne">Nick Carne</a>. Nick Carne is the editor of Cosmos Online and editorial manager for The Royal Institution of Australia.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p> </div>

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Family grieve for young mum, partner and baby killed in deliberate house fire

<p><span>The grieving family of a young mum who was killed in a devastating house fire alongside her partner and child, have spoken about their loss at an emotional memorial service.</span><br /><br /><span>Abbey Forrest, 19, partner Inda Sohal, 28, and their three-week-old baby Ivy died in their Point Cook, Melbourne home last Wednesday.</span><br /><br /><span>The news of their death shocked the nation, after it was revealed the horrifying blaze was allegedly deliberately lit.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7839090/fam.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/d12802484987487bb7a36947c9bdcf21" /><br /><br /><span>Ms Forrest’s parents Alan and Elizabeth attended a memorial dedicated to the young family on Sunday along with dozens of members of the community, who brought balloons, toys and flowers to the site to remember the family.</span><br /><br /><span>A tree has been planted at a nearby park as a way to permanently honour the family, who had only just moved to the neighbourhood.</span><br /><br /><span>Mrs Forrest broke down while talking to 9News, revealing she had only just spoken to the “glowing” and “beautiful” mum just hours before the tragedy.</span><br /><br /><span>“I spoke to her the night before and she said: ‘Love you mum, talk to you tomorrow’,” Mrs Forrest said.</span><br /><br /><span>“Hug your children, because you’re not supposed to bury your children.</span><br /><br /><span>“So give them a hug and let them know that you love them, because you never know when you’ll see them again.”</span><br /><br /><span>Mr Forrest told the Herald Sun the “magic” memorial and support from the community helped his family as they grieve.</span><br /><br /><span>“I’m absolutely amazed by the amount of people and their generosity and support of what happened to my daughter, my granddaughter and future son-in-law,” he said.</span><br /><br /><span>“The amount of people who had that support for us, it’s just amazing.”</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7839089/fam-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/c21a999b71394480ac8ca3a024c2e971" /><br /><br /><span>Victoria Police have charged 46-year-old Jenny Hayes with three counts of murder and arson causing death following the fire.</span><br /><br /><span>Abbey’s sister Emily has also set up a GoFundMe to help cover funeral costs and has so far made $31, 116.</span><br /><br /><span>Mr Singh’s parents, who live in India, are planning to hold a traditional ceremony for their son in his homeland.</span><br /><br /><span>“I want to do what we can for all three of these beautiful souls who had their lives tragically cut short,” Emily Forrest wrote on the fundraising page.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7839088/fam-2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/ec82128aea4646ceb218fce1da0da652" /><br /><br /><span>Ms. Hayes is a sex worker who was not known to the young family.</span><br /><br /><span>She was visiting a man staying in the downstairs portion of their family townhouse.</span><br /><br /><span>She allegedly lit a mattress on fire after the pair argued over sexual services.</span><br /><br /><span>“As you are all aware, this has now been confirmed it was a deliberately lit fire and a 46yo woman has been taken into custody,” she posted.</span><br /><br /><span>“A big thank you to the emergency services who tried to save them, neighbours who attended that night and did their best, and all of those who have sent their sympathies and condolences whether you be family, friends or strangers.</span><br /><br /><span>“The community we are in is amazing and my family and I are beyond grateful for the help and support you have given and offered.”</span><br /><br /><span>Ms Hayes will next face court in March 2021.</span></p>

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