Zak Sweetman and Luke Smith are being remembered as cheeky larrikins who loved life, their mates and, most of all, their families.

The pair, aged 18 and 16, died when the car they were passengers in crashed off the New England Highway at Glen Aplin, 45km north of Tenterfield, on Saturday night, also injuring their two mates, Brandon Cross and Cory Tonkin.

Mr Cross and Mr Tonkin have now both been released from Stanthorpe hospital and have returned home to Tenterfield to recover from their injuries and the shock loss of their mates.

Yesterday, Zak’s family said they would never forget his cheeky smile. His parents, Garry and Leighanne, said Zak was the family clown who kept everyone laughing, was mischievous and packed everything into every day.

“He would always wake me up when he got home at night and kiss me and tell me he loved me,” Mrs Sweetman said.

“You couldn’t help but love him.”

Luke’s extended family said their son, brother and best mate lived life in the fast lane.

“Luke’s life from the moment he could crawl was fast, fun and filled with an energy like no other,” the family said in a statement to The Tenterfield Star.

“He was just such a scallywag and such a huge presence to be around.”

The loss of two young lives has sent shockwaves through the Tenterfield community as family, friends, locals and even strangers rally around the Sweetman and Smith families, along with the teenagers who survived.

Investigations into the cause of the crash are continuing by Stanthorpe police.

In an interview with Fairfax Media yesterday, Senior Sergeant Mark Ireland said it was a tragedy that had taken two lives too soon.

“It’s a very unfortunate series of events, very unfortunate and traumatic for the family and everyone involved and our thoughts go out to them,” he said.

Senior Sergeant Ireland said forensic crash investigators had conducted detailed examinations at the scene.

“The vehicle will be getting mechanically examined later this week to rule out any defects that may have contributed to the crash,” he said.

“On preliminary investigations, we do not believe speed or alcohol nor drugs were contributing causes in this crash.”

Police have spoken to several people as part of the investigation and are appealing for anyone else with information about the crash to come forward.

THE TRIBUTES:

ZAK SWEETMAN

By Donna Ward

The first thing Zak Sweetman’s family sees when they think of him is his cheeky smile.

As his parents Garry (better known as ‘Humphrey’) and Leighanne struggle to come to terms with Saturday night’s accident which claimed the lives of Zak and Luke Smith and injured Brandon Cross and Cory Tonkin, they remember Zak as the family clown who kept everyone laughing.

“Unpredictable and mischievous” is how Leighanne describes him.

Zak worked with his father at Willowtown Tyre Service, and Humph said it made work fun.

Zak loved fishing, consuming his catch when out camping.

“He used to go fishing down the Rocky, but the other locations are secret,” Humph said.

His family refer to him as a ‘picker’, loved getting a bargain on cheap used cars that he’d run into the ground and then offload.

He bought a Proton with four months registration for $300 and drove it around until every panel was dinted, before selling it to his dad for $60 worth of fuel.

“He just enjoyed life,” Leighanne said.

“Whenever someone asked Zak how he was doing he’d always reply that he’s ‘got a bit on’. We always reckoned he fit 26 hours of living into every 24 hour day.”

Friday was ‘shower day’ when he’d have more than a quick splash and would wash his hair, always keen to show off his clean locks to his mum.

Leighanne said he was messy and disorganised but very cuddly and affectionate.

“He would always wake me when he got home at night and kiss me and tell me he loved me," she said.

"You couldn’t help but love him.”

Leighanne said that Zak grew out of his chubbiness to become his own man, and had lots of friends many of whom happened to be girls.

Perhaps it was his soft heart that attracted them, as he was always bringing home stray animals and on one occasion Leighanne came home to discover a big, black dog in the backyard, which Zac had encountered on the way home ‘looking lonely’.

Zak was a keen four-wheel-driver, which had overtaken his interest in motorcycles to some extent.

“When he washed one of the cars he’d think it looked too clean, so he’s take it out to muddy it up a bit,” Leighanne said.

Zak’s sister Emily said whenever Zak collected her from school they couldn’t come straight home.

“We’d have to go and find some big hill to go up,” she said.

“We’d always come home the hard way.”

Humph and Leighanne said their desire to give Emily a good life is what now keeps them going, losing Zac after their other son Brendan also died under tragic circumstances, drowning at Boonoo Boonoo Falls five years ago.

“We’ve got a beautiful daughter to focus on, and we want to give her a good life,” Leighanne said.

“If we had our way we’d build her a tower and call her Rapunzel, and protect her with our lives.”

Humph and Leighanne said they are staying in touch with the two boys who survived the crash and are now back home in Tenterfield.

“We keep checking on them, making sure they’re OK,” Leighanne said.

“We know the crash wasn’t speed or drink or drug-related. It was just an accident.”

Humphrey and Leighanne take some comfort in the thought that big brother Brendan is now looking after Zac.

“Brendan needed a wing man,” Leighanne said.

“His brother is looking after him, but they’re in so much trouble when I get there.”

No funeral arrangements have been made as the families await the coroner’s report.

LUKE SMITH

"On Sunday Morning one phone call changed our families lives forever, we got the phone call no‐one  ever wants to get and life has spun out of control since.

"But our family wanted to take this time to share with you some of our beautiful Memories of Luke  Raymond Smith, our little Lukey Duke.

"Luke was born on the 24th August 1999 to his doting Parents Brian and Jandy, Luke has a twin  Brother Jake and an older brother Dylan 

"Luke’s life from the moment he could crawl was fast, fun and filled with an energy like no other. I don’t think this tribute could even begin to reflect the love this boy brought to everyone, He loved  his cuddles, he loved to kiss you and he loved his family and friends.

"He was just such a scallywag and such a huge presence to be around, all our family events and  occasions where always filled with some mischief or mishap whenever Lukey was there with his  beloved brothers and cousins. One of Lukey’s best hidden talents was his skill for Photo bombing  EVERY photo. 

"At all our family gatherings there are at least a dozen photos of which Lukey has at  least an eye in, but this was half the fun for us taking the photo, to see how many you could get not  only without him in them, but with him succeeding in his Photo Bombing.

"He had a certain way of filling a room, he could lift your spirits just with his cheeky smile, and his way  of life was contagious. 

"Luke was, from a very early age so interested in computers and all things I.T,  so while his brothers were farming and outside helping their Dad, Luke could be found indoors,  figuring out anything he could about computers and helping his beautiful Mum to be more Tech  savvy.

"Luke had a passion for Motocross bikes, and he loved nothing more than to ride his dirt bike  whenever and wherever possible. 

"He had a few stacks over the years as he had no fear, he could pull off the best ride or jump because of this factor, most of the time while on his beloved bike or even a push bike Luke would be up on one wheel, he never rode with two wheels on the ground, and he really left a lot of his mates and cousins in awe of his skill on his bike. 

"Luke’s Motto for his dirt bike riding was “forever holding it flat and fanging it”.

"Lukey, although not starting out his schooling life with a huge passion for education, in recent years this all  changed, this became very apparent at the end of last year when subject selection was opened for his upcoming senior years.

"Lukey chose ancient history (an extremely academic subject) with his teacher being Mr Peter Woodrow, on speaking with Mr Woodrow down the street one day, he was so excited about teaching Luke and was looking forward to the two years ahead - hoping to finish with an overseas holiday for all the class.

"Luke was very excited to be planning for this great adventure.

"Luke was a light that just kept shining, and for us that light has now dimmed, but no matter what it  will never go out. 

"He was beautiful, he was funny, he was cheeky, and he was smart, but most of all  he was ours. 

"We want to thank everyone for their kindness over the last few days and we want you all to know  how much our world has changed. 

"Our grief is immeasurable, our loss is unfathomable, but the true spirit of this small country town is what is keeping us going.

"While our hearts are broken and our lives are forever changed, we are grateful for having the beauty  of Luke in our lives, he was and always will be, our beautiful Lukey Duke."  

The Smith, Ash, Butler and Dight families