Glenorie car crash: Arndell Anglican teacher Karen Mitchell remembered
Hundreds of family and friends gathered to celebrate the life of Arndell Anglican teacher Karen Mitchell, killed in a head-on crash in Glenorie last week.
Hills Shire
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A young Fijian girl clung to the arm of Arndell Anglican science teacher, Karen Mitchell, as rain hit the tin roof of a small church in a village on the island of Suva.
They had only just met as part of the Homes of Hope mission in September 2018.
But the adoration of this young girl would inspire Ms Mitchell to once again volunteer to return to Fiji as part of the school’s charitable work.
Rather than packing her bags and returning to Fiji in an effort to inspire students of the Oakville-based Anglican school this weekend, family and friends of the 34-year-old Westleigh woman gathered at St Stephens Anglican Church, Normanhurst, on Thursday, September 26.
Grief-stricken mourners gathered at the funeral to say their last goodbyes to the dedicated, loving teacher and friend.
Ms Mitchell’s parents, Anne and Rodger, as well as her brother Craig, were embraced by hundreds of family, friends, colleagues and students of the late teacher’s school.
They shared personal stories about a hardworking woman who “sparked a fire in the hearts of all she met”.
In his eulogy, Ms Mitchell’s brother said the stories of so many people “whose lives were touched by Karen”, are part of a bigger picture of the impact she had throughout her life.
“Karen was a beautiful soul that saw the best in all of us,” Mr Mitchell said. “She was always bright, colourful and creative — I miss her so much — she was an amazing sister.”
The college’s head of science, Kristy Sheppard said she watched Ms Mitchell “grow leaps and bounds in the two and a half years she spent at the school” in her address to mourners.
She shared the story of the 34-year-old’s dedication to mission work and the reunion of that little girl she’d met on that rainy afternoon in the church.
“She had one of the biggest workloads at the school, which is probably my fault, but she had finally found her groove and was always the life of the staffroom,” Ms Sheppard said.
“Karen soaked up the atmosphere on mission in Fiji, one little girl took a liking to her, stroking her face and holding onto her — Karen was really looking forward to seeing her again.”
Waitara Girl Guides members and close friends, Melanie Forbes and Freya Shearer, shared the dedicated volunteer’s passion for Disney movies, travel and “a bottle of wine and cheese among friends”.