Some brought flowers. Others brought prayers or songs. Many simply stood in silence.
Judd acknowledged words could feel inadequate at a time of profound loss.
Drawing on the Bible, he offered two passages: “Comfort, comfort my people” and “weep with those who weep”.
“And that’s what we do today,” Judd said.
Police were called to the railway station at about 6.20pm on September 20 after an incident involving a train. The young person died at the scene.
Waipā Mayor Mike Pettit addresses the Te Awamutu community vigil at Anchor Park. Photo / Tom Eley
Senior Sergeant John McCarthy previously said police were supporting the whānau and those who immediately tried to help.
The Serious Crash Unit examined the scene, and police inquiries were continuing.
Waipā Mayor Mike Pettit said the tragedy affected Te Awamutu, communities along the railway line, including Hamilton, and about 300 people aboard the train.
“The effect will be on Te Awamutu, and it will be on people right up and down this train line,” Pettit said.
He said the vigil could not provide answers or remove the community’s pain.
“What we can do is give the opportunity to walk through grief.”
Pettit paid tribute to police officers and other emergency service personnel who were among those first at the scene.
“There are times when words feel too small. This is one of those times,” he said.
“A precious life has been lost, and a whānau, friends and this community are carrying a sadness that is hard to put into words.”
Pettit said those gathered could stand together around the young person’s whānau and friends.
“At the centre of this tragedy is someone deeply loved, someone whose life will be missed beyond measure.
“We honour that life by holding the whānau in our thoughts, by being gentle with one another and by remembering that every life has value.”
The crowd observed a minute’s silence before mourners placed flowers at the foot of the lectern. Organisers later carried them to the railway station on the community’s behalf.
As the crowd sang Te Aroha, strong winds carried more cherry blossom petals among the mourners.
Waipā District Council strategic Māori partnerships director Ngira Simmonds said those attending did not need to arrive with the right words.
“Some of us come bringing prayer, some bringing song. Some of us arrive with questions. Some among us this morning have a heavy heart,” Simmonds said.
“Many of us arrive simply with silence, but we all bring presence.”
Tom Eley is a multimedia journalist at the Waikato Herald. Before he joined the Hamilton-based team, he worked for the Weekend Sun and Sunlive. He previously worked as a journalist at Black Press Media in Canada and won a fellowship with the Vancouver Sun.