“He was a good father to the boys, six and three years old, and he was a good husband. He was a God-fearing man," said Tracey Gandari.

The old anthem can be heard sung in full voice from what a local newspaper said where thousands of Flemish people, including the Antwerp mayor.

Olivia Adams of Hillview was busy making tea when her daughter rushed inside to say a woman was giving birth on the street next to a tuck shop.