Balin Stewart death: Point Cartwright Reserve memorial created for popular teen
Family and friends have flocked to a popular Sunshine Coast reserve where a permanent memorial has been created for alleged teen stabbing murder victim Balin Stewart.
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Family and friends still processing the sudden death of much-loved Buddina teen Balin Stewart will have a permanent place to honour the former Sunshine Coast Grammar School student.
The popular 16-year-old died after he was allegedly stabbed in the torso outside his Iluka Ave home by a 17-year-old boy known to him about 11pm on January 20, 2022.
Soon after his death the Stewart family launched their #BintheBladeforBalin online campaign to end knife violence and change youth culture which continued to gather momentum.
A huge crowd gathered at Sunshine Coast Stadium on February 3 to farewell Balin at his funeral and his legacy continues to grow with a tree planting ceremony held on Saturday, May 14.
About 200 people braved the blustery conditions to gather at Point Cartwright Reserve at Buddina where a tropical almond tree was planted in Balin’s memory.
The site was carefully selected to become a gathering point in the popular reserve for years to come for his many friends still processing their loss.
“It means a lot,” Balin’s dad, Michael Stewart, told the crowd on Saturday.
“It will be a great spot for mates to come and chill and remember the soul that was Balin.”
Balin’s father, Michael, mum Kerri-Lyn and brother Jacob were joined by a mass of friends and family, many adorned in #BintheBladeforBalin shirts while others picked up stickers being handed out.
It was a solemn and respectful ceremony as the crowd of all ages reflected on their loss.
“Words can’t describe how special it is to us,” Balin’s dad Michael said.
“These sorts of events are obviously hard to do but they also make us feel incredibly proud to have a turnout like this on such poor weather.”
Mr Stewart said he hoped the site would provide a place for his son’s friends to gather in the coming years.
“Our house – or his bedroom – has been a place for the kids to come and hang out and I guess one of the things that’s special to us about this location is that Balin loved coming down here on a regular basis with a bunch of mates and just chilling and hanging,” Mr Stewart said.
“He’s a Sunshine Coast boy so what do you do? You hang out at the beach.
“So now that they’ll have their own space, that’s pretty special.”
Mr Stewart said he recently presented to about 40 Year 12 students at Sunshine Coast University Hospital and was reminded of how significant his son’s legacy was when several walked up to him and spoke to him about Balin.
“We knew that he was a popular kid however the number of stories from strangers to us that have come up to us and said Balin touched their heart in some way or another … not one of them had a bad word to say about our boy,” he said.
The family was now awaiting the outcome of the legal case with the teen alleged to have killed their son due back in Children’s Court in late-June for a mention.
The teen alleged to have stabbed Balin had previously been described as “distraught” after the incident and it was understood he had called the police and ambulance immediately after the alleged incident.
The memorial was also set to act as the finishing point for a memorial walk for Balin from beach access 215 to the tree to take place on the anniversary of his death.
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