Darwin farewells Declan Laverty in emotional public memorial service

‘I understand you must celebrate the life he had, rather than mourning the loss’. Declan Laverty was mourned and remembered at a touching ceremony in Darwin this morning.

Mourners clutched their children closely and wiped away tears as the family of Declan Laverty shared their grief for their fallen son, brother and friend.

The Darwin community was able to say their final goodbyes to Declan on Saturday, a month after the 20-year-old bottle shop worker was allegedly stabbed to death at The Airport Tavern, Jingili.

His mother Samara Laverty asked the crowd to remember her son as more than a headline, more than the story of tragedy and bloodshed.

“You deserve to know who you’re grieving for alongside us,” Ms Laverty said.

The Queensland woman drew in a breath as she tried to summarise every moment of joy, frustration and love that her son brought to her life.

Samara Laverty speaks at the Public Memorial Service for her son, Declan Laverty. Photo: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Ms Laverty said from the moment she found out she was pregnant, Declan was her “heart and soul”.

“A goofy, silly, annoying, single-minded, s — t stirring, pain in the bum who stole my heart,” she said.

“(He was) five foot seven and always hopeful for a last minute growth spurt, and that one day he would be able to grow some semblance of a moustache in less than a month.”

Ms Laverty recalled the long drives for his early-morning AFL games, bickering over cleaning his room, and how they would bellow out the lyrics to Carry on Wayward Son while watching all 15 seasons — 327 episodes — of Supernatural.

Public Memorial Service for Declan Laverty. Photo: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

But Ms Laverty said raising her headstrong and incurably cheeky teenager had not always been easy.

With a chuckle she remembered how at 16-years-old Declan ran away from home to live in the bush for three weeks, living in a shack and surviving off rice and bathing in the creek.

Public Memorial Service for Declan Laverty 22/4/23 at the Darwin Convention Centre. Photo: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Ms Laverty said after two-years of rebellion Declan had to move to the Territory “to get away from the wrong crowd”.

“When I had to send you to Darwin, it broke my heart,” she said.

With 2600km separating them Ms Laverty said they got to know each other, not just as mother and son, but as true friends.

Declan Laverty’s sister Bridget Laverty and mother Samara Laverty at his memorial Service. Photo: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

She said every night she would get a text from Declan saying: “I love you” — Every night, until Sunday March 19.

Ten minutes before his shift was meant to end, Declan sent his mother his final message: “I love you mum, I’ve been stabbed”.

“My life stopped. My first born child, the person who made me a mother,” she said.

“That pain in my heart and soul is now my new normal.”

Ms Laverty said a month after Declan’s death, she was still texting his phone with every thought and memory she wanted to share with him.
“I text you, I message you … I tell you I love you every single night on my way to bed as I walk past your ashes,” she said.

“(But) if you ever message me back I may have a heart attack and end up with you.”

Bridget Laverty, Taylah Alcorn and Ben Austin at Declan Laverty’s memorial at the Darwin Convention Centre. Photo: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

To his sisters, Taylah Alcorn and Bridget Laverty, Declan was still the boy who totalled two family cars DJing from behind the wheel, the 12-year-old obsessed with the Fast and Furious movies, the aspiring rapper ‘Crooksy’, and the animal lover who could win the affection of any dog he encountered.

Taylah Alcorn and Joshua Crook speaking at the Declan Laverty’s memorial. Photo: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Reading a message from one of Declan’s friends, Bridget asked: “How can something so evil happen to someone so good for the world?”

“I understand you must celebrate the life he had, rather than mourning the loss … It’s hard to do that when he was only beginning to live it.”

Airport Tavern store manager Lolita Lamberto with BWS general manager Ash Stephenson at the memorial for Declan Laverty. Photo: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

BWS General Manager Ash Stephenson read aloud a message from Declan’s store manager, Lolita Lamberto as she stood behind him, wiping away her tears.

“Our hearts are shattered, and our friend is gone. We will miss you so much Dec.”

“You won’t be forgotten. I’ll pat every puppy I see and tell them it was from you.”