Alice Springs Hospital nurse Sonia Bayley remembered as a ‘beautiful nurse’, ‘one of a kind’ by family

‘She’ll be missed so much’: A Red Centre nurse is being remembered as a keen traveller, avid footy supporter and a ‘wonderful, kind person’ by her family after her tragic passing.

Sonia Bayley at the University of Newcastle graduation. Picture: Supplied

A Red Centre nurse – whose life and travels saw her go all over the world – is being remembered as a “beautiful nurse” and a “wonderful” person by her family and friends, after she tragically passed away on holiday overseas.

In August, Sonia Bayley, 33, a mental health ward nurse at Alice Springs hospital, tragically died while in Europe.

To her brother Jacob Bayley, Sonia was a passionate footy supporter, a keen traveller, and “just such a wonderful, kind, person”.

Sonia Bayley with her mother and brothers as a child. Picture: Supplied

“I think that might have been why she got into nursing, because she just wanted to help people and make a difference,” he said.

Originally from Melbourne, Mr Bayley said his family moved to Canberra when Sonia was six months old, where they grew up.

But once they got older, the family all moved to different corners of the country, with Sonia no different, he said.

While Jacob went to Melbourne, Sonia’s second oldest brother Aaron went to Perth, and youngest brother Brendan followed their mother to Tweed Heads.

Sonia’s journey took her to Melbourne, then to Bunbury in WA, before she finally decided to take a job in Alice Springs in 2020 – a move her brother said “really left a positive impact on her life”.

“She was into community gardening, she joined the choir, and I think she even she might have played a couple of games of football,” he said.

In 2023, while in Alice Springs, Sonia graduated from the University of Newcastle with a Masters in Mental Health Nursing – which she had studied remotely.

In the Red Centre, Sonia had linked up with her godmother Sue Kildea, who she lived with before buying her own place.

Sonia Bayley. Picture: Supplied

Ms Kildea said in addition to playing footy and joining the choir, Sonia also volunteered at the local animal shelter.

“She was a beautiful nurse, bubbly personality, one of those people that it didn’t matter what was going on, she would say ‘Hi’, she’d sit down, she’d have a chat,” she said.

“She was very, very caring, a beautiful, empathetic nurse, and beautiful with Aboriginal people.”

Sonia was a hard worker, Ms Kildea said, starting out her nursing career in aged care, before working her way into the mental health ward.

“She worked hard doing double shifts and various other things to try and start paying off the mortgage, and she fell in love with Alice Springs,” she said.

Mr Bayley said his fondest memory was seeing Sonia and the rest of the family together at their reunions.

“She’s truly such a special person and she’ll be missed so much,” he said.