Sarah Strong-Law, 42, killed in Kangaroo Island crash, remembered as a ‘true champion’

A “true champion” has been remembered for her legacy of building Adelaide’s roller skating community, following her death in a car crash on KI.

A pioneering figure within Adelaide’s tight-knit roller skating community killed in a crash on Kangaroo Island has been remembered as “the first person to dish out a home-truth or a nurturing hug”.

Sarah Strong-Law, 42, of Kangaroo Island, was killed when her car crashed into a truck on Hog Bay Rd and Davies Rd at Pelican Lagoon, south of American River, on February 22.

The organisation Ms Strong-Law founded, the Adelaide Roller Derby (ARD), posted a social media tribute that remembered her as a woman of “boundless energy”.

Those at ARD also knew their “beloved friend” as “Barrelhouse Bessy”, who founded one of the first roller derby leagues in the country in 2007.

Well known author Clementine Ford joined the dozens of people paying tribute to Ms Strong-Law on social media, describing her as a blessing to all who knew her.

Sarah Strong-Law was remembered as a “beloved friend”. Picture: Facebook

Sarah Strong-Law, also known as “Barrelhouse Bessy”, during her roller derby career. Picture: Adelaide Roller Derby/Facebook

“Bessy had boundless energy, was a born leader and organiser, and a respected figure within our unique sport” the post from ARD read,

“She was the first person to dish out a home-truth or a nurturing hug, and always challenged us to do better, do more, and do it our own way.”

Ms Strong-Law created the group to empower women in the community, beginning with a small meeting at The Wheatsheaf Hotel at Thebarton.

“Bessy led the league as one of the inaugural board members, navigating Adelaide Roller Derby’s way through its establishment and incorporation, and teaching people how to rollerskate,” the post read.

Ms Strong-Law was a pioneering figure in Adelaide’s roller blading community. Picture: Adelaide Roller Derby/Facebook

“She championed our league culture on the premise of ‘daggy and endearing’ and established an empowering space for the women of Adelaide.”

She survived by her husband, Boone, and daughter, Kiva.

Author Clementine Ford said she met Ms Strong Law in 2010 when she signed up to try out for the derby league in Adelaide.

“There are some people whose presence in this world is truly felt like a blessing to all,” Ms Ford wrote.

“Sarah Strong-Law – aka Barrelhouse Bessy – was one of these people, and it is no exaggeration to say she improved the life of every single person lucky enough to be even remotely in her orbit.”

“How can someone so vibrant and necessary to the world be suddenly just … gone?” Ms Ford wrote.

“She was wild and precious. She was special.

“Rest in peace, Barrelhouse Bessy. Yours is a legacy that will never be forgotten.”

Ms Strong-Law’s skating career ended in 2012 due to a knee injury, but ARD wrote her legacy “continues to reverberate through our league and the wider derby community, inspiring and affecting more lives than she could have ever known”.

A funeral service will be held at Lloyd Collins Reserve at Penneshaw on Kangaroo Island on Saturday afternoon.

Free walk on ferry rides will be provided to limited people from Cape Jervis at 9am and 12pm on Saturday, with a Sealink code FERRY20.

An additional memorial service will be held in the future to accommodate Ms Strong-Law’s wider Adelaide Roller Derby family and friends.