Rockhampton nurse Karen Gilliland remembered with special book launch

Dressed in a white dress so she could be an ‘angel for mum’, the eight-year-old daughter of a murdered Queensland nurse bravely fronted a crowd which had gathered to hear the words written by Karen Gilliland before her tragic death.

Two years ago, eight-year-old Jade lost her mum Karen Gilliland in one of the most unfathomable ways.

But dressed in white and wearing a tiara to look like an angel for her late mother, young Jade kept the memory of her mum alive on Thursday - the anniversary of her death - by reading a book which had been penned by her before her life was tragically cut short.

It’s a story Jade now knows inside and out, and one she has read to almost her entire school.

Thursday marked two years since Karen, a nurse and mother of three, was murdered in her own home by her husband Nigel.

He was sentenced to life imprisonment last year after pleading guilty to one count of murder (domestic violence offence) in the Supreme Court at Rockhampton.

Family and friends of Karen promised that every year the anniversary of her death would be marked by something special so she would be remembered.

This year a children’s book written by Karen was officially launched to mark the anniversary.

The (Not So) Lonely Jellyfish was read at the launch by Karen’s youngest daughter Jade.

The book, titled The (Not So) Lonely Jellyfish was a project by Karen and her friend and work colleague Melissa Swinson, who illustrated the book, but was never finished before Karen’s death.

The launch was attended by Karen’s children, brother, close friends, police officers and her mum Cheryl O’Sullivan.

“If only she was still here to see it,” Cheryl said.

“She was very passionate, not just about children’s books but writing in general - we found diaries full of stories.

“After Thomas died, her first born, she was home for a while and she wrote a story that was published in a magazine, a full page, I still have it at home.

“She was a passionate writer, as a child Bryce Courtenay used to mentor her, she was always writing.”

It is not the first book Karen and Melissa worked on.

Karen’s mum Cheryl said her daughter was a passionate writer.

The pair worked with each other for about five years and when Melissa, who was an artist on the side outside of her job, heard Karen liked to write, she went to her asking for some illustrating practice.

“She (Karen) actually found a competition at the library for creating a picture book, so we aimed for that she wrote a story about chickens and I illustrated that,” Melissa said.

“We came second and then she wrote me a second book so we could enter again the next year.

“But life got in the way a bit and I didn’t quite get around to illustrating it and it took her a while to finish writing it as well … then I never got to illustrate it before we lost her.”

It was Karen’s dream to have her work published and Melissa helped that dream become a reality.

After Karen died, Melissa began working on the second book.

“I managed to get it published in time for Jade’s eighth birthday and I gave it to the family on her birthday and they were completely blindsided,” she said.

Karen’s son Saul, friend Melissa Swinson, mum Cheryl O’Sullivan and daughters Lara and Jade at the book launch.

“I had told them there was a second story but I think it left their minds, they just could not believe what I had brought them.

“It was so special that it was Jade who was reading it, and she’s read it to her whole school – what a brave little girl.

“I think Karen would have loved that there was a book launch for her book and I just love Karen is being remembered for how she lived and not how she died.”

Cheryl said the book would help keep Karen’s memory alive.

“It’s a keepsake book,” she said.

“It’s a thank you to CQ Healthy Families and the police who have done this today.

“When it was on the news about coercive control in parliament and it had all the women in Brisbane and the Gold Coast that were murdered but Karen wasn’t mentioned, that’s what got everyone here up in arms about it.

“This is so Karen isn’t forgotten.”

Two years on

With this year marking two years since Karen died, Cheryl said the family still hadn’t “come to grips with it”.

“We’ve had that much to do, we’ve had to relocate, buy a house, get all set up … but now it’s settling down we can start to grieve ourselves,” she said.

“But with three kids it’s hard to do that because you have to be strong for them.”

As well as marking the second anniversary of Karen’s death, the book launch also fell almost 10 months since Nigel Gilliland was sentenced for her murder.

But Cheryl said although he had been sentenced, she would never have closure.

“He killed my daughter, I’ll never … never have closure,” she said.

Work on domestic and family violence has come a long way in the two years since Karen’s death.

After the Women’s Safety and Justice Taskforce, chaired by The Honourable Margaret McMurdo, released its first report looking at how to best criminalise coercive control, the State Government announced an overhaul of laws to address domestic and family violence.

In May it was announced a bill would be introduced to criminalise coercive control by the end of 2023.

The “overhaul” package also included a number of other things including the announcement of better support for women, the expansion of domestic and family violence courts and a special package for first nations communities.

But as a victim of a domestic violence death, Cheryl said she now wanted to lend a hand to try and prevent the same thing happening to anyone else.

“Karen lived through coercive control, we didn’t know it at the time but she was totally controlled,” Cheryl said.

“It took her death and the ladies in Brisbane to get things moving … I’ve told CQ Healthy Families if they need me to speak to domestic violence groups I will.

“If I can stop someone getting to the stage Karen got to, if I can help one person I’ve helped Karen. I’m just going to be a voice when needed.”