Desley Ketchup starts fundraiser for sons tombstone
Twenty months on from the shooting of Aubrey Donahue, his family is still waiting for answers amid claims disunity in Mareeba following his death has contributed to the town’s youth crime problem.
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Twenty months on from the controversial police shooting of Aboriginal man Aubrey Donahue, his family is still waiting for answers amid claims disunity in Mareeba following his death has contributed to the town’s youth crime problem.
Mr Donahue died after being shot by SERT officers at a violent conclusion to a four-hour siege at the family home of his partner on March 23, 2023.
Following a funeral on April 20 Mr Donahue’s mother Desley Ketchup this week started a fundraiser to help finance her son’s tombstone.
Ms Ketchup remains heartbroken by the loss of her son who she described as a “community warrior”.
She said the fundraiser would assist her and her family’s journey toward healing.
“I would like to raise some funds for his tombstone and a venue to share our story but most importantly bring people of this town together and help those who have been through similar circumstances to heal,” she said.
“Our community struggles with significant tragedy and I would like to be able to share our struggles to help us all heal and lift each other spiritually.”
A GoFundMe page set up on Thursday has so far raised $600 of a $15,000 target.
Remaining passionate about advocating for justice, Ms Ketchup who lost a nephew to suicide the same year her son died said she would never give up.
She said it was disappointing that no word had come through from police regarding the Ethical Standards Command investigation into the actions of officers involved in the shooting.
“Someone has to be held accountable, I will fight until my death, this is wrong,” she said.
“I’m going to push for this because I am not getting any sleep and I would really like to see someone held accountable.”
The Mareeba mother said the family was still affected by the shooting while claiming impacts of the death were contributing to the town’s youth crime problem.
“Mareeba went down, all the kids are doing wrong,” she said.
“I don’t know what is going through their heads but I can’t help them.”
Ms Ketchup said funds would be put towards a family gathering and final send off for Mr Donahue.
“We have had to endure a great deal of trauma and heartache, this is the first time the family are gathering,” she said.
Queensland Police Service when asked about the outcome of the investigation were unable to respond before deadline on Friday.
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