Counsellors have been brought in to help children at a small NSW country school after they lost three of their friends in a shooting that has rocked a small community to its core.
Fletcher, Mia and Phoebe Hunt, aged 10, eight and six, were shot dead at their family home in Lockhart, west of Wagga Wagga.
The flag at the St Joseph's flew at half mast on Wednesday, with a quiet sombreness replacing the usual joy of the school day.
At the school which has 74 pupils, teachers, students and parents are in mourning and counsellors are helping them through this difficult time.
When the Hunt children didn't turn up for school on Tuesday, the alarm was raised by locals.
The children and their mother, Kim Hunt, were found dead at the family property, while father Geoff Hunt remains missing.
Like many small rural schools, parents lend a hand, with Mr Hunt rostered on for lawn mowing duties for the first two weeks of September, according to the school's newsletter.
The Hunt family was well known in Lockhart, which has a population of 900.
Local parish priest Father Tony Schipp led a Mass on Wednesday morning to pray for the family.
A spokesman from the school says students have turned to counsellors for help through this difficult time.
"The Lockhart community is a very strong and resilient one and we know that they will bond together and support one another in working through this difficult time," the spokesman said.
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