5.44pm Driver of fatal crash at mates' funerals

WITH his blond hair dyed black and his right arm in a sling, 17-year-old Tyler Green attended two funerals today to face for the first time the families of four teenagers killed in a horrific car crash.

Tyler was the driver of the car and sole survivor of the crash in which his four friends died near Byron Bay on the NSW north coast on Sunday.

Hundreds of people paid tribute to a talented guitarist and to a high school chick magnet'' in the heart-wrenching funerals for teenagers Mitch Eveleigh and Bryce Wells in Lismore today.

Mitchell, 16, Bryce, 17, Corey New, 16 and Paul Morris, 16, all died in the crash and their weeping families, friends and many classmates attended today's services at St Carthages Catholic Cathedral and Lismore Uniting Church.

Tyler attended both services despite the advice of his father, Mitchell Green, who had cautioned that it might worsen his grief.

Superintendent Bruce Lyons, local area commander of the Richmond district, told mourners in a tribute to Mitchell that he hoped Tyler would draw some comfort from knowing his friends already had found peace and tranquillity.

Supt Lyons also delivered a message of comfort to Mitchell's parents, Karen and Robert Eveleigh, and siblings Rachel and Logan.

To Rachel and Logan, in days to come not far away you will see the sun shine again and will see the waves coming on the beach,'' he said.

You will look up into the sky and see your brother dancing on the steps of heaven.

''

Then he told the service about Tyler: Young man, on behalf of many, may I say God bless you.

I know in past days you may have been asking yourself a number of 'what ifs?' and perhaps you haven't been able to answer them.

You need to know that Mitchell, Bryce, Corey and Paul are in a peace and tranquility that none of us are yet to know about.''

In a poignant moment, one of Mitchell's friends, Ben Nolan, played a spine-tingling rendition of the Led Zeppelin classic, Stairway to Heaven, on his mate's electric guitar, to reflect the funeral's rock 'n roll theme.

There were tears too at the Lismore Uniting Church a few hours later when Bryce's friend Kiwat Kennell performed the Lads' Song, a piece he wrote in tribute to the car enthusiast.

About 700 mourners attended each service, with traffic coming to a standstill in central Lismore for Bryce's funeral as the crowd overflowed onto the outside lawn and into church annexes.

Screens set up around the church displayed a slide show of Bryce's life.

Peter Miller, a friend of the Wells family, told in a eulogy of special messages placed by Bryce's classmates outside Kadina High School, where all those in the crash were students.

There are many themes in the messages in the tribute but one thing that really caught me eye was that Bryce was a chick magnet,'' Mr Miller told mourners

One of the messages reads: 'Bryce - School Spunk'.

I'm not sure what that means but I'm sure it's good.''

Bryce's coffin was carried to a hearse to the strains of Forever Young, by Youth Group, as helium-filled balloons floated into the overcast sky.

The funerals of Corey and Paul will be held at the same churches in Lismore tomorrow.