Sceney family farewelled in Darwin FACES painted to signify grief in the Aboriginal way were among hundreds of mourners at the funeral of a Darwin family who died in a plane crash. Aboriginal elder Carmelita "Karmi" Sceney, 58, her husband Stuart, 45, and their two daughters Kal-Kidan, 12, and 15-year-old Mekdes died in a light plane crash on April 1. More than 500 people filled St Mary's Cathedral on a humid day in Darwin to mourn the family. Ms Sceney was a respected Aboriginal elder on Bathurst Island and had been active in helping implement the groundbreaking Northern Territory 1974 Aboriginal Land Rights Act. Some of those who gathered had their faces painted in the mourning designs of Ms Sceney's people and sang in her traditional language during the Catholic service. "Karmi was the glue who was always there to support every family member through the good and tough times with unquestionable commitment no matter what the circumstances," her sister Yvonne Dunn told the service. Ms Dunn told of how her sister and Stuart Sceney had travelled to Ethiopia in 2004 to adopt Kal-Kidan and Mekdes. The girls died along with their mother in the plane piloted by their father. Their aunt Narelle Steel said Kal-Kidan had the most beautiful smile. "You were one of a kind and will live in our hearts forever just the way you were," she said. Ms Sceney's daughter, Jamila Dunn, said Mekdes was her "little shadow." "She had such a beautiful soul," she said. So thoughtful and generous, there was not one selfish thing about her. Stuart Sceney's father Daryl described how his son had driven to Darwin from their home at Grovedale in Victoria and begun a wonderful partnership with Karmi. Members of the St Mary's Football Club, where Mr Sceney was a life member and played more than 200 games, were also at the funeral. As the coffins were taken to waiting hearses, some mourners wailed loudly and clapped their hands in rhythm while others danced. Eugenie Tipungwuti, an aunt of the family in the Aboriginal sense, said she felt better after the funeral. "They will always be loved," she said.