As the sun rose over Canowindra on Sunday morning around 1000 people gathered to pay their respects to the life of young schoolteacher Stephanie Scott, allegedly murdered by school cleaner Vincent Stanford at the school where she taught in Leeton.

The crowd encircled another group who had come to pay tribute - 23 hot air balloonists who had answered the call to be part of the ceremony.

Hundreds of yellow and white balloons were released into the sky at the same time the hot air balloonists fired up and rose gently skyward.

As the balloons floated upwards residents comforted each other. Anglican and Uniting Church co-operative minister Reverend Jonno Williams led the crowd in  prayer for Ms Scott and her family. 

“This is a time when we all feel for the loss of Stephanie. 

“We feel powerless at a time when the Scott family and Aaron and his family are grieving, but this is an opportunity for us to show how we feel about this tragedy,” Reverend Williams said.

Eugowra resident Anne O’Connor was among those who shed tears as they she stood quietly supported by friends as she held her yellow balloons.

“Our group of friends who knew Stephanie, Aaron and their family decided half of us would go to Leeton yesterday and the other half stay here and be part of the Canowindra commemoration,” she said.

“This is absolutely heartbreaking and I have to wonder how something terrible like this can happen.

“We all feel so much for Aaron because they were getting married yesterday and our hearts go out to both families,” she said.

However Ms O’Connor said the towns of Canowindra and Eugowra have rallied to support the families.

“That is one of the best things about living in a small town - people all pull together at times like this,” she said.

Among those attending the tribute ceremony was Tracey Birmingham who said the town is still reeling from the death of another young person.

“I attended the funeral here this week of my cousin who committed suicide, and then we heard about Stephanie.

“It is such an incredibly sad time for everyone in the town,” she said.

Organiser of yesterday’s tribute Jan Kerr said once the call had gone out to the hot-air ballooning community the response was wonderful.

“People were getting ready to come here for our balloon festival but the ballooning community was amazing in the way they responded to come here today and be part of this,” she said.

“We had hoped for about 10 balloons, but we had more than double that,” she said.

Many of the residents who attended the tribute at the town’s sports oval in Rodd Street wore yellow in keeping with the theme of the commemorations the day before in Leeton.

- Janice Harris, Central Western Daily