The Bedroom and Surfers Paradise mourns Gold Coast VIP waitress Mia Ayliffe-Chung, killed in Home Hill hostel
HOME Hill hostel stabbing victim Mia Ayliffe-Chung, 21, is remembered by her Gold Coast nightclub crew as the bubbly, confident “life of the party”.
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POPULAR and bubbly young nightclub waitress Mia Ayliffe-Chung was living the dream in the heart of the Gold Coast – and couldn’t wait to return after leaving for north Queensland.
But the 21-year-old British working holiday maker (left), would not make it back.
She’d never stay another night at the Hilton hotel where she’d been based in the midst of the action in Surfers Paradise.
She’d never work another shift as a funloving VIP waitress at popular nearby nightclub The Bedroom where she was adored by colleagues who have described her as “the life of the party”.
On Tuesday night just over a week into a three-month rural stint fruitpicking – required to extend her working holiday visa – the girl known as ‘Mimi’ by friends was stabbed to death in a backpackers by a Frenchman who reportedly yelled “Allahu akbar” prior.
Police are now investigating whether the French backpacker had developed a romantic obsession with Miss Ayliffe-Chung.
In a moving Facebook post days before her death, she had promised her crew from The Bedroom it would not be long until she saw them all again, telling them how much she loved them and how they’d made “my last five months so much fun”.
“…my amazing managers, barmen, glassies, receptionists, the guy that sleeps on the sofa at the back...oh and that kid that does the lights!
“I love coming to work to see you all and I’m going to miss you,” she wrote.
“Will probably return tired, sunburnt and slightly insane but I’ll come back nonetheless. See you soon, you knobs.”
It is a message typical of a girl who had her whole life in front of her, according to The Bedroom manager Brad Oliver who hired her as soon as he met her back in March.
“She was the sort of girl who would go out of her way to make others feel welcome. Even my girlfriend who only just recently met her said ‘Oh my god, she was so lovely that girl’.”
Mr Oliver said he had tried to get her to do some bartending but she preferred waitressing and looking after guests in the VIP booths with bottle service.
“She was great at that. She came in one night looking for a job – she was full of confidence. She had one of those infectious personalities, came across as bubbly and confident.
“She slotted in straightaway with everyone.”
Mr Oliver said the nightclub crew are a tight bunch, and Miss Ayliffe-Chung typically went out on the town with her female colleagues from The Bedroom on Tuesday nights which was when most of them had the evening off.
“They would always pop in and see me,” Mr Oliver said. “They’re all close – they spend so much time together, they work strange hours so they all naturally become really good mates.
“I’m in shock – for someone who was so full of life and had so much to look forward to.”
The Bedroom general manager Tim Martin said club was closed last night out of respect for her and her stunned colleagues.
“She clicked with our staff instantly – just a lovely girl, the life of the party and always having a good laugh.”
Mr Martin said he recalled having a few drinks with her two Fridays back after her shift finished, days before she left for Home Hill south of Townsville.
“She didn’t really want to go but was treating it as a big adventure – she was just a real fun kid, loving her travels. It’s a senseless loss of life,” Mr Martin said.
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