Crozier family devote rural scholarship to Poppy on what would be her 21st birthday
On what would’ve been her 21st birthday, Poppy Crozier’s family are honouring her memory with a long-lasting tribute.
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On what would’ve been her 21st birthday, Poppy Crozier’s parents are honouring her legacy by launching a rural education scholarship in her name.
Poppy, known affectionately by those closest to her as ‘Pops’, was only 19 when she was tragically killed in a crash on the Dukes Highway, at Ki Ki, on the evening of May 26, 2023.
“Poppy was incredibly determined and independent, had a strong sense of self, yet all of those things protected a very soft interior,” her father, Charlie, said.
“She absolutely loved home and the farm, loved animals and was incredibly loyal to her crew of beautiful friends.”
Like many other regional uni students, Poppy was heading home for the weekend – taking a break from her work and study in Adelaide – to visit her boyfriend, spend time with family and attend a friend’s birthday party in Kingston.
Her mother, Asha, had spoken with her less than an hour before the crash while she was in Murray Bridge, about 170km from their family property at Sherwood, near Keith.
“It was around 6pm and she had just gone over the Murray Bridge,” Asha said.
“She said she had a good day at work and talked about what her plans were, and said I’ll see you tomorrow.”
An hour later, Charlie and Asha became aware through social media about a major accident on Dukes Highway and anxiously tried again and again to reach their daughter.
“We tried to call her, but we couldn’t get her, just couldn’t get her,” Charlie said. “I think we instinctively knew.”
He said the two hours between finding out about the crash and the police showing up at their house were the “longest two hours of (their) lives”.
Police arrived about 9pm and shared the news that their worst fears had come true – Poppy was gone.
The tragedy of her passing hit the tight-knit community of the upper South East region hard, with many locals having family and friends of their own who frequently travel the Dukes Highway.
“It could have been any one of our community’s kids,” Asha said.
“It wasn’t just a loss to us.”
In the wake of the accident, left to deal with their unfathomable grief, the task of planning their daughter’s funeral and public memorial, and the prospect of a lengthy court case for the young man accused of causing the accident, the Croziers say they were inundated with “phenomenal” support from their local community.
“They circled the wagons around us,” Charlie said.
“In the worst possible circumstances, we were incredibly fortunate that there were people around us making sure we had anything and everything we needed,” Asha said.
Determined to make the most of a horrendous situation, the family reached out to the Limestone Coast’s Stand Like Stone Foundation and the Poppy Crozier Memorial Sub-Fund was opened. Donations flowed in daily from people all over Australia.
“We knew that there was a desire for people to be doing something, so we wanted that energy to be able to go somewhere good and do some good,” Asha said.
Now, more than a year later with the sub-fund totalling $103k, the Croziers have decided exactly what they want to do with the donations.
They have created a scholarship in honour of their daughter – a girl who loved the farm – and dedicated it to the region who rallied around them when the times were toughest.
“We want her memory to live on,” said Asha. “This is a way to keep her memory going, but also to benefit the community that’s been supporting us.”
“Poppy never got to finish her ag science degree,” Charlie said. “However, the scholarship keeps it going and other people might get to do exactly that.”
Applications have opened for the Poppy Crozier Memorial Scholarship this week, which would’ve been the week of Poppy’s 21st birthday.
The scholarship will support a Limestone Coast student looking to further their tertiary agricultural studies. For more information on the scholarship, contact info@standlikestone.com.au.
“We want Pops to be remembered for what she was, who she was and what she wanted to be,” Charlie said.
Originally published as Crozier family devote rural scholarship to Poppy on what would be her 21st birthday
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