Sydney seaplane crash: teachers pay tribute to youngest victim

SHATTERED teachers of the youngest victim of the Sydney seaplane crash are reeling over the school’s second tragic death in five years.

SHATTERED teachers of the youngest victim of the Sydney seaplane crash have remembered her as a popular and gifted pupil, with the ‘brightest of futures’.

For the second time in five years, London’s Fircroft school is mourning the death of a student after a holiday abroad.

Although Heather Bowden-Page had recently graduated from the primary school, head teacher Anne Wilson recalled an 11-year-old who had played netball and basketball and represented her peers on school councils.

Heather Bowden-Page has been remembered as a loving child with a zest for life.

“She was a very capable, outgoing girl with a zest for life, a great sense of humour, an infectious smile and a passionate interest in the rights of children. She was an academically able, diligent pupil who also loved sport, computing and coding, and sharing the lead role in the school’s production of Alice in Wonderland. We found her engaging and fun to teach and felt her to be a strong ambassador for the school,” she said.

Emma Bowden died in the crash alongside her daughter.

“When Heather left Fircroft in July 2017 [to start high school at Graveney in September] we all believed that she would have the brightest of futures. Her mother Emma was an active supporter of the school, immensely proud of her daughter’s achievements and warmly regarded by us all. The Fircroft School community is deeply shocked and saddened by their tragic loss.”

In 2013, another Fircroft school student, Imani Green, was shot dead while on holiday in Jamaica.

Anne Wilson, head teacher of Fircroft Primary School in Tooting, London, says Heather was an outgoing girl with a great sense of humour.

The school’s alumni includes Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, who returned for its 120-year celebrations in 2016.

“This school gave me the confidence and it gave me skills that I needed; interpersonal skills, academic skills, the sense of teamwork and how to respect people for who they are,” he told a packed assembly at the time.

“This school has a huge place in my heart.”