Don Woodland is a heartbroken man with a heartbreaking duty to perform – to help Stuart Diver bury his second wife – a man he considers ‘closer than a brother’. The retired Salvation Army chaplain forged an unbreakable bond with Stuart and his family in the days after his entrapment and rescue from under the Thredbo rubble, he told Daily Mail Australia that his good mate 'has a big hill to climb'. 'I have talked to him a few times on the phone (since Rosanna's death), he has another big hill to climb but Stuart is Stuart, he lives from one day to the next, that's just him and that's he copes with that,' Mr Woodland said. He conducted Sally’s funeral in 1997 and will do the same for Rosanna on Friday at a private ceremony. A short statement has been released on behalf of Stuart and family members. It reads: 'Stuart Diver and his extended family have requested privacy and respect for their loss at this time'. Scroll down for video . Close friends, Stuart Diver (left) and Don Woodland (right) catch up in the months after he was rescued from the Thredbo rubble. 'I consider him more than a brother' said the Salvation Army chaplain, who said Diver has 'a big hill to climb' after the death of his second wife Rosanna . The happy couple pictured together. Stuart Diver and his late wife Rosanna, who died on Saturday after a long battle with cancer. A short statement has been released on behalf of Stuart and family members. It reads: 'Stuart Diver and his extended family have requested privacy and respect for their loss at this time' Rosanna Cossettini arrives on April 13, 2002, for her wedding day at Coolringdon, near Cooma in New South Wales, where she married Stuart Diver. They were due to celebrate a 13th wedding anniversary in just over a fortnight . The Thredbo disaster of 1997 killed Stuart's then wife Sally and 17 others, he only emerged from his dark, private hell after almost three days . It will be tough, to say the least, for someone who has worked through the worst of tragedies in almost 50 years as a Salvation Army officer. ‘I am finding it very difficult to cope. But we’ll do our best to help,’ he told Daily Mail Australia. Mr Woodland said Stuart was in very good hands, as the Diver family has once again surrounded him amid the tragedy and were providing vital support to him and young daughter, Alessia. 'All the family are around him. Euan his brother, his parents Steve and Annette, they are a close family and very, very strong,' he said. 'I can't foretell, by any means, how he will deal with this (after) but the whole family is a great family, they are very, very strong in their personalities and their characters. 'They are all strong, they have been mountain climbing when the boys were young, and it was the whole strength of the family that made Stuart the person he is. 'They are lovely people and my wife looked after (Stuart's mother) Annette while they were in Canberra.' The Thredbo disaster of 1997 killed Stuart's then wife Sally and 17 others. He only emerged from his dark, private hell after almost three days. Stuart Diver and Rosanna Cossettini married on April 13, 2002 in a ceremony in the Snowy Mountains when she was 27 and he was 32. In a heartbreaking turn of events, Rosanna was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer just three weeks after their nuptials but went into remission. Sadly, the cancer had returned by July, 2013. She passed away on Saturday aged 40. The miracle moment: Stuart Diver is pulled from the rubble of the Thredbo ski village after surviving almost three days under the rubble. The landslide killed 18 people including his first wife Sally. He survived despite suffering hypothermia and blood poisoning in the below freezing conditions . Sally and Stuart pictured on their wedding day. Stuart Diver told of his deep despair after losing his wife in the disaster, but as time past he also believed Sally would have wanted him to get on with his life and be happy . Stuart Diver at the release of his book 'Survival'. He also wrote that 'I had always believed that if it was right in your heart, then it was right,' he wrote of finding love after Sally's tragic passing. With Rosanna, I found myself loving again' Stuart remains an ardent supporter of the Salvation Army, as a result of their friendship, and has actively promoted the charity. Don Woodland has never lost contact with his good friend Stuart and believes the survival instincts and strength he displayed to get through more than 65 harrowing hours under the rubble of the Thredbo's Bimbadeen and Carinya Lodges, will help him through the sorrow of losing Rosanna to cancer. ‘I was at Thredbo and went through that with him and I was sent back to Canberra when he was brought in by helicopter,' he said. 'We looked after the family for the week and after that too. 'I visited Stuart constantly and was aksed to conduct Sally’s funeral after that, there has been a real bond between our families, (which) still exists today. 'It was unbelievable news (Rosanna's death), even though I did know a week or two ago, that things were becoming quite serious.' Stuart Diver has been a much sought after guest speaker in the years since the Thredbo disaster. He credited Rosanna with helping him heal from the trauma and grief of Sally's death . Paramedic Paul Featherstone (centre) is credited for helping keep Stuart Diver (left) alive during the many hours he was stuck under the Thredbo village rubble, he recalled the words he spoke with the sole survivor to keep his spirits up, 'stick with me and we'll see those mountains again'. Over a 41-year career, Featherstone treated victims at the Bali bombings, Thredbo landslide, Waterfall rail disaster and Beaconsfield mine rescue . Don Woodland has spent almost 50 years working for the Salvation Army and will preside over Rosanna Diver's funeral on Friday . Mr Woodland also did the honours for the wedding of Stuart's brother Euan and his wife Suzy. 'I didn’t get to talk much to Rosanna herself, I kept more in contact with Stuart right through the whole process,' he added. 'I am just finding it difficult to cope with it. We will do our best to help and flying down there on Friday morning – it will be a private family ceremony. 'I don't have to tell you how hard (it is) when you're dealing with someone who is closer than a brother.' Lieutenant-Colonel Woodland retired more than 14 years ago, he has forged ahead through most of Australia’s post war-time tragedies, Cyclone Tracy, the Granville rail disaster, the Strathfield and Port Arthur massacres, was there after the Bali bombings and, of course, Thredbo.
Close friend and chaplain Don Woodland presided over first wife's Sally's funeral and will do the same for Rosanna . The Salvation Army officer says Stuart and his four-year-old daughter are in good hands with his extended family by their side as they mourn . Stuart's family has issued a short statement: 'Stuart Diver and his extended family have requested privacy and respect for their loss at this time'
Rosanna's funeral will be held on Friday in Thredbo .