Hunter Valley bus victim's girlfriend felt 'cursed' after history tragically repeated itself
Georgie Copeland lost two romantic partners in three years.
A woman has shared her heartbreaking story of grieving for not one but two romantic partners after both died in separate accidents several years apart, with her new partner being one of the victims in the Hunter Valley bus crash that rocked NSW.
Georgie Copeland admitted she considered taking her own life after her fiancé Lachlan Proctor died in an accident in 2020, while she also came to terms with several of her family members being unwell.
She managed to get her life back on track and initially told herself she was open to finding love again when she meet Zach Bray. However in a revealing and emotional interview, she recounted how she was hesitant to be vulnerable again.
"He wanted to make me his girlfriend and I was like, 'This is too much, I'm not ready for this'," she said on the Darling, Shine! podcast.
After cutting things off, months went by before she ran into Bray again and they decided to give their relationship "a real go". The pair had a "big romantic reunion" planned for when Bray arrived back from a wedding he was going to in the Hunter Valley. Tragically it would never happen.
Victim sent partner videos of wedding before crash
Copeland explained she had helped Bray get ready for the wedding, advising him over video call on what to wear. He even sent her messages and "videos from the dance floor" during the night of the wedding.
Copeland went to sleep early that evening and woke the following morning without a morning message from her partner which she considered "really weird", but put it down to him having a "big, big night" and most likely being asleep or hungover.
Partner hears about Hunter Valley bus crash from mum
Copeland recalled how she had been on the phone to her mum who by chance mentioned news of a bus crash in the Hunter Valley region, transporting wedding guests from the venue back to their accomodation.
As soon as her mum mentioned it she "f**king knew" Bray was in "trouble". After ringing his phone with no success, she contacted his mum who answered the phone in tears.
His death set her right back to where she was after her first partner died and she couldn't believe history had repeated itself.
"Zach was on the bus in the Hunter Valley that crashed on June 11 last year and he was one of the ten people who passed away on that bus," she said on the podcast. "I went back to a very dark place. I thought, 'I'm cursed'. I also thought, excuse my language, "Who the f**k is going to want to date this girl?"
"I don’t come with baggage, I come with a proper 'griefcase'."
She went travelling and has since decided to approach the world with a 'life is short' mentality.
"I am lucky to have been loved by Lachie Proctor. I am lucky to have known Zach Bray. I'm not cursed. I'm the luckiest human alive," Ms Copeland said. "I'm not special, I'm like every other person. I've just had some terrible things happen to me, as do other people."
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