HUNDREDS of purple balloons filled Heathcote on Friday as the town paid a moving tribute to teenager Georgia Edsall-French.
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The town was a sea of purple as businesses, school children and residents banded together to remember the 15 year-old Heathcote girl who died in car crash In Queensland on July 24.
The tribute was organised by a group of local teens and embraced by people in towns along the McIvor Highway including Axedale and Junortoun, and in Bendigo where Georgia went school.
Across Heathcote, balloons and specially made purple ribbons were rapidly being sold, with all proceeds going to the Edsall-Franch family.
At Segafredo's Bakery, where Georgia worked for 12 months, staff released 15 balloons into the air at 1pm, each one representing one year of Georgia's short life.
Bakery worker Nathalie Klok joked as she remembered Georgia as a fun person and as a dedicated worker.
"She was awesome ... we are like a small family here at the bakery," she said.
Ms Klok said she was amazed by the response to the tribute.
"The whole town has got in on it - just to say goodbye to Georgia," she said.
"It's touched so many people - the balloons go all the way up to Nagambie Road.
"We've gone all out here at the bakery, but it's touching how many people have just got involved."
Further down High Street, the Union Hotel was plastered in purple.
The pub holds regular fundraising nights for local causes and needed no cajoling to join the effort for Georgia
Publican Lyn Edwards praised the generosity of locals, while pausing to reflect on a family that was doing it hard after the death of their loved one.
“This town is phenomenal – you couldn’t find any more generous people anywhere as we have here,” Ms Edwards said.
“The Edsall-French family themselves were always strong givers themselves.
“They’re a beautiful family – we are all just shocked.
“The last the family needs to worry about is finances … and they would do the same thing for any of us.”
Outside the pub, Ms Edwards’ children Brodie and Ashton kept busy selling balloons and ribbons.
The hotel had been inundated with offers of firewood for raffles and was expected to sell out of its supply of 400 balloons and 150 ribbons by the afternoon.
Heathcote’s IGA supermarket had been stripped bare of 1500 purple balloons on Thursday, with Ms Edwards making a late dash to Bendigo to source more.
At Barrack Reserve, Georgia's name was emblazoned in balloons across a fence.
Six days earlier, hundreds of Heathcote and Mount Pleasant supporters joined with their senior footballers and netballers for a minute's silence.
It is believed a group of junior sportspeople, some who went to school with Georgia at Catholic College Bendigo, were responsible for the gesture.
Heathcote Football Netball Club will organise an event to support the family in coming weeks.