Numbed by grief, Jenny Geppert is also consumed by love, describing the man suspected of killing her sister, nephew and nieces as incredibly generous and kind-hearted.
Ms Geppert says she feels "an indescribable numbness and all-encompassing, heart-wrenching sadness" following the death of her sister Kim Hunt and her children - Fletcher, 10, Mia, eight, and Phoebe, six - who were found with gunshot wounds on Tuesday on their farm in southern NSW.
And she feels just as much for their husband and father Geoff Hunt, whose body was found along with a gun in a dam on the Lockhart property a day later.
"My most beautiful, spirited sister, Kim, whom I idolised and adored; my dear brother in law, Geoff, who was incredibly generous and kind-hearted; my beautiful nephew and nieces Fletcher, Mia and Phoebe, who I cherished and thought of as my own children. All are loved dearly," Ms Geppert said in a statement on Thursday.
"The void that is left in our lives is immeasurable. They are profoundly missed.
"Please give a hug to those you love and count your blessings that they are with you."
As the investigation into the tragedy continues, members of the 900-strong Riverina town are being urged to seek counselling and not bottle up their feelings.
Lockhart Shire Council is co-ordinating counselling services for the distraught community.
Mayor Peter Yates has asked locals to keep an eye on each other.
"I just encourage people to make contact with council, make contact with their neighbours to see that they're all right, and if they think there's an issue, there's help available," he said.
Counselling services would be kept as private as possible to encourage residents of small communities, particularly men, to open up, Mr Yates said.
"We've got to work together," he said.
"We're a small community, we know each other, and the main thing is to help each other overcome this issue."
An Australian flag at the school the Hunt children attended was again flying at half-mast, as the principal remembered her former students as "beautiful kids".
"They loved to smile. They loved to chat and tell people about what they'd been doing. They were always full of laughs," Debbie Sheather said.
The school has about 70 students and they are being encouraged to hold on to good memories of their classmates.
"We talked a lot about that yesterday - Fletcher's and Phoebe's and Mia's favourite things and favourite games," Ms Sheather said.
"We'll do a lot of the same today."
