Kooringal donates to Wagga Base Hospital

It was a night of tragedy - 38-year-old Clinton Rowley died at the scene of a car crash and his teenage daughter and nephew were critically injured.

"We see these people at the worst time in their lives," Dr Cumberlege said, reflecting on the raw moment when he spoke to the family for the first time.

Dr Cumberlege was touched when school mates of Dylan Rowley and Anastazia Carroll pulled together to donate $2150 to Wagga's emergency department.

When presented with the cheque at yesterday's assembly, he fought back tears.

"It's amazing to see how they've pulled together, it's such an intimate time."

On hearing the devastating loss their classmates were dealing with, 2015 school captains Christina Fawns and Sam Bannister wanted to do something to help.

They organised a mufti day, sausage sizzle, raffle tickets and a blockbuster movie night to raise the huge amount of cash.

"We couldn't think of a better cause," Sam said.

"Everybody knew them and it was a real wake-up-call."

Christina said the accident forced students to understand the importance of the emergency department.

"Eveything is built around that," she said.

Nurse manager Rebecca Bush was honoured to be recognised for the job nurses and doctors do every day.

"It's amazing that they've taken such a tragedy and turned it into a positive to recognise the work we do every day," Ms Bush said.

"We are so privileged to be able to do it."

Student Representative Council co-ordinator Phil Sebbens spoke of the tight-knit nature of Kooringal High School.

"I am so impressed by the way (the school) has responded to help those in need," Mr Sebbens told the student body.

"Dylan and Anastazia are two of our own and you have shown that the Kooringal High School family and community stick together.

"And, in a selfless gesture, I had one student, who wishes to remain anonymous, who went down the street and spent an afternoon busking - they then donated all their proceeds to these efforts."