Sophia Naismith’s grieving family on their final hours with daughter and sister
On a normal, happy Saturday night, Sophia Naismith’s mother dropped her off at her best friend’s house. Three years later, she treasures every final word and moment they had.
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It was just any regular, ordinary winter’s Saturday night three years ago but Sophia Naismith was “super excited” about a sleepover at her best friend’s house.
As the popular schoolgirl bounded down the stairs of her Seaview Downs home, the bubbly 15-year-old raced past her father, Luke, yelled out that she loved him before she and her mum, Pia, laughed and bonded in the car over 90s love songs.
It was the last time her parents would see their eldest daughter alive, leaving them to raise their younger girls, Saskia, now 16, and Ursula, now 14, without their doting sister and battling indescribable grief.
“I remember this distinctly, that she was 15 and a half, doing well at school, sport, had friends, she just got her first job at McDonald’s – life was good, really good,” said Pia Vogrin, 48, through tears.
“She was super happy and bubbly and there was a lot of good stuff going on.
“I remember thinking how happy she was, literally – and I know it’s a cliche but it’s true. “That night she was bounding down the stairs to come to the car.
“She was super excited about life, making plans for subject choices and her future. Sophia was a goal setter. This was our chat when I dropped her off.
“You recall these last moments because ordinarily, it would have just been a drop-off at a friend’s house. It wasn’t. Sophia’s life story was tragically ended.”
She said the family had “changed forever”, her daughter missing every part of life.
“We now face a life without someone you love more than anything in the world, a piece of you, an irreplaceable piece,” she said.
“It’s not something that you ever want to think about, the loss is deep and shatters everything around you. Your life literally blows apart.
“You really can’t take any time that you have with your family and loved ones for granted.
“When it’s the last conversation that you have, the last hug, the last anything, it actually becomes the ‘last’.
“All of a sudden those moments are really important. The last time becomes really significant.
“Our moments with Sophia will forever be our precious memories.”
Split-second tragedy
Sophia, a talented sportswoman who excelled at the state’s highest levels in junior indoor and beach volleyball, was walking from a McDonald’s with inseparable best friend Jordyn Callea, then 15, on their way to another friend’s house.
But in a split second, her promising life, her dreams and her future, were killed.
Sophia suffered catastrophic injuries after being struck by a white 2016, $330,000 Lamborghini Huracan – with the personalised number plate “PSYKO” – driven by car enthusiast Alexander Damian Campbell, who was found not guilty of death by dangerous driving on Thursday.
She was innocently walking along on a Morphett Rd footpath, Glengowrie, in Adelaide’s south, at 9.48pm on June 22, 2019.
She died instantly from critical head injuries. In a sign of respect, a policewoman stood guard over her as investigators worked in a Chinese restaurant carpark.
Jordyn, now 18, also suffered serious injuries.
“The girls’ right to feel safe and secure while walking along the footpath – on the way to catch a bus – was a right taken from them because of choices made by the drivers,” Mrs Vogrin said.
Campbell, who was driving his then-pregnant wife of eight years Diana, was charged.
Her parents do not forgive the drivers for taking a “young innocent life”.
“It doesn’t get any easier because … there’s a story that plays out in your heart and mind, where’s Sophia? Why isn’t she here? And then you relive the gut-wrenching reality of the situation,” said Ms Vogrin, and events and marketing manager.
“It’s a parent’s worst nightmare to have the police at your door and telling you that your child has been killed, in a tragic situation. No parent or family should ever have to go through any of that. Ever.”
Mr Naismith, 49, added: “And still all the time … I just expect her to be there sitting in the couch or walking through the front door, smiling, sharing stories about her day.”
A rising star
Sophia, a year 10 student at Brighton Secondary School, packed so much into her short life. She would be 18 today and had she graduated with her peers last year she would likely be studying physiotherapy at university.
Growing up, the cheeky girl was active, loved gymnastics, to dress up, dance on stage before finding a love of sport, which in itself blazed a trial for her younger siblings, on whom she doted.
Her parents paid tribute to her tenacity, work ethic, camaraderie, friendship, kindness and honesty.
She competed for state and country. A typical headstrong teenager, she loved the water, jetty jumping, boys, movies and had a celebrity crush on Hollywood actor Zac Efron.
Above all she loved her family and friends. Her sisters, who are today very close, are also talented volleyballers – achievements that fill their parents with pride and shine a ray of happiness on their overbearing trauma.
Saskia, a year 11 Brighton student, represented Australia this year in Thailand at the under-18 volleyball world championships.
Ursula, who is in year 9, made the state under-15 beach and indoor teams. Coaches believe Saskia in particular could be a future Olympian.
Both girls, who play sport and are close with their sister’s friends, paid their own public tribute to for the first time.
Saskia said she missed her best friend, with whom she did everything.
“All three of us were close,” Saskia said. “Our story as sisters has changed for ever, we will never get to share all of those special times growing up together. I can’t imagine how much fun we would get up to. Maybe even playing sport alongside each other.”
‘She is significantly missing’: A lasting legacy
But it is that love of sport that will be one of Sophia’s enduring legacies.
The Sophia Naismith Foundation, which grew from a GoFundMe page in the days after her death, has raised more than $119,000 and has so far helped nine athletes compete nationally.
“Through the generous contributions … these grants can help young athletes compete at their highest levels, build friendships with teammates and strive for their goals and dreams,” said an emotional Mr Naismith.
“The costs to travel and compete at the highest level can add up quickly and that’s why we’re so happy to be able to support those things.”
Ms Vogrin said sport was a big part of their lives.
“We’ve been fortunate that the girl’s sporting achievements have meant that we’ve gone on sporting trips – the road trips created so many memories,” she said.
“So with the foundation, we knew that there are lots of other families whose kids get to be in representative teams and funding sporting trips can quite often be tricky.”
Sophia was good at sport and “put a lot in to be good”, Ms Vogrin said.
“We feel the foundation reflects those positive traits those really good things that you want in your kids – commitment, striving to be the best person that you can be in sport or your chosen area,” she said.
“Creating a foundation which supports young people follow their dreams, is Sophia’s legacy.”
A rookie of the year award in her honour has also been established the Cove Football Club, where Sophia played and Saskia excels.
Mr Naismith said: “It is awarded to one of the players who exhibits the same sort of characteristics that we feel Sofia had in terms of tenacity, work ethic, camaraderie, friendship, all those kinds of things.
“And they get their club fees paid in total for the following season.”
A group of Brighton Secondary School year 12 students built a 3m-long wooden bench in 2019 outside the school gym. It has a plaque with a poignant message ‘Sophia’s place. Be the things you love most about the people who are gone’.
The foundation contributed to a “Catching Squid” installation near Brighton Jetty.
Her funeral was at the Mile End netball stadium in front of almost 3000 mourners.
The family each have quiet places for reflection and connection to Sophia. They say milestones are hard, as they remind them of their loss and are sad she will never experience a graduation, career or a family.
Ms Vogrin said sport remains a really important part of the family’s bonding.
“It definitely doesn’t change the challenge because you know you’re in a familiar environment and expecting to see your other child play as well and they’re not there,” she said.
“So you it quite often that’s a little bit harder, actually. She’s notably missed from the sporting arenas and activities. Notably is not even strong enough. She is significantly missing.
“But watching the girls still take an interest in those sorts of activities is really important as a parent and as a family going through the grieving process.
“I think is it is important seeing your parents in the on the sideline.
“They’ll pretend that they don’t want you there. But really, at the end of it, they’ll ask you whether or not you saw me do this. And you can say ‘yeah I did’.”
Laws must change
The past three years have been “extremely tough”, says Mr Naismith, who manages the Marion cinema complex, and feels a life sentence has been imposed.
Campbell, of Elizabeth North, denied causing death, and serious harm, by dangerous driving in the crash as he left a local car event at the nearby Marion Shopping Centre.
But he did admit driving without due care, the offence aggravated by Sophia’s death.
The Naismith family have attended each hearing, wearing red ribbons over their hearts in a sign of solidarity – Sophia wore hair ties and red is the South Australian state colour.
The brave family, who are forever grateful to their supportive community of relatives and friends who rallied behind them, listened to her final tragic moments, the highly technical evidence and arguments on whether Campbell drove dangerously or was careless.
By his plea to a lesser charge, Campbell – who did not give evidence in his defence – acknowledged he drove carelessly.
Publicly thanking police and prosecutors as well as witnesses for coming forward, the family have driven the case, asking questions and trying to understand the law’s complexity.
Regardless of Thursday’s decision from District Court judge Paul Muscat to acquit, the family are frustrated with the justice system and want law reform to close a legal loophole exposed in the case.
They want a new driving “reckless homicide” offence, as a mid-range alternative to bridge the gap between cause death by dangerous driving and aggravated due care, with appropriate deterrent penalties.
Similar laws are in other states and overseas and the family feel this “reinforces the severity” of road trauma.
They also are calling for new high-performance car licence category for drivers of sports cars. Similar to a truck or motorbike permit, restrictions and in-depth training would apply.
During the early stages of the case, Campbell successfully applied for his licence back to drive his pregnant wife, which the Naismiths said was traumatic.
They also want a change in bail laws for serious driving offences that ban any accused from driving until a case is resolved through plea, verdict or dropped charges.
“We’ve had to really advocate for justice for Sophia,” said her mother.
“You don’t expect or prepare yourself at first to have to fight, but you need to, you have to. We placed our faith in the system but also had to be active in the process.
“We feel strongly about Sophia’s story being able to support the need to seek changes. Families who have lost loved ones to senseless road crashes, know first-hand how traumatic the experience is and will be for the rest of their lives.”
Mr Naismith hoped changes to law would create safer drivers.
“It was totally unnecessary, and … we would hope it would it have an effect of stopping this from happening again,” he said. “This is worth fighting for.”
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