Thurgoona aunt and uncle of Julia and Ella Ball tell of road crash heartache

Tragically, a car crash on the Riverina Highway, south of Albury airport, has broken that strong link.

It left Ella with fatal injuries, while Julia has had five operations in a Melbourne hospital in the week since the collision on May 20, 2023.

Also injured was their father and another friend in the car, with the group heading out for dinner.

On Sunday May 28, the girls' aunt Sharnee Effting spoke of her nieces' loving connection after launching a GoFundMe online appeal to help Julia as she faces life without Ella.

Sitting alongside husband Brett Effting, the brother of the girls' mother, Mrs Effting told of how, despite a four-year age gap, Julia and Ella were inseparable.

"Their friendship was just unrivalled and they were really just one person and you didn't see one without the other," Mrs Effting said.

"(Julia) always just mothered her and you never saw them fight, they just laughed and got along and if there was a disagreement they just ended up laughing it out.

"It's really sad because I could actually see them being sisters that might travel together as they're older or live together as they're older.

"They would have been a big part of each other's lives and I think that's the heaviest loss that we're all feeling."

The pair were educated at Lavington East Public School and Murray High School with Ella recently scoring a part in the latter's production of Beauty and the Beast.

She also created digital artworks which she displayed through an Instagram page.

The online pitch, entitled 'Help Julia through the unimaginable', went up on the afternoon of Saturday May 27 and it had raised more than $15,000 by 6pm Sunday May 28.

Mrs Effting said the appeal was to give Julia aid to cope with the loss of Ella.

"We set that up because we know Julia will be supported medically but there's no support financially for her," Mrs Effting said.

"We just know she'll need this time to grieve and to process her life without her sister and we thought financially if she could be supported through that would be really valuable."

Mr Effting said Julia had various injuries internally and to her spine and lower leg but her medical prognosis was hopeful despite being still in intensive care on Sunday May 28.

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"They had her in a coma for a couple of days to try and fix her internal (damage)," Mr Effting said.

The uncle and aunt are very thankful for the response to the appeal which has had more than 140 donations ranging from $10 to $1000.

"One of our son's mates is an apprentice and the apprentice put $650 in and (our son) Will rang me in tears," Mrs Effting said.

"He was like 'I had to ring him and check, he's an apprentice, Mum' so that's one of Julia's cousin's apprentice friends.

"That sort of got us a bit choked up."

Mr Effting added: "That's kind of the support we've been getting."

Julia has been a long time player for the Bears softball club and it has donated $250 and is expected to hold fundraisers to support her.

Since leaving Murray High, Julia has completed a certificate in music.

"She's an amazing musician, you can hand her anything, she taught herself guitar and can play saxophone," Mrs Effting said.

There is no final target for the GoFundMe fundraiser but Mr Effting notes "it's a long road ahead" before Mrs Effting again highlights the sisters' affinity.

"Like I said and I can't reiterate it enough, there's sisters and then there's these two and her life will be ripped apart," she said.

"I have a sister.

"I work with my sister, so I'm very blessed."

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