Richard Cousins, the highly-regarded head of catering giant Compass, was among five British passengers killed in a sea plane crash north of Sydney, along with his two sons, aged 23 and 25, his 48-year-old fiancée and her 11-year-old daughter.

Police named the victims of the tragic flight as Mr Cousins, 58, William Cousins, 25, Edward Cousins, 23, Emma Bowden, 48, Heather Bowden-Page, 11, and Gareth Morgan, 44, an experienced pilot originally from Canada.

Mr Cousins and his fiancée were due to get married this year, and lived together with Heather in a leafy part of Tooting, South London.

The couple had sent out their wedding invitations just days before flying off on their Christmas and New Year holiday to Australia, while an engagement party was planned for March.

Heather had started at nearby Graveney School in September where she had begun to make new friends.

Neighbour Lata Maisuria,who lives two doors away from the family's terraced house, said: "They were happy go lucky people just like us.