‘They left us way too soon’: Footy club honours Laos poisoning victims Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones
Thunderous cheers echoed throughout Banksia Reserve on Saturday as Beaumaris Football Club players ran single file through a guard of honour on their home ground, their bright pink armbands and socks shining in the afternoon sun.
Pink was a favourite colour for Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones – the Melbourne teens who died last year after a suspected methanol poisoning incident while holidaying in Laos.
Beaumaris players gather in the change rooms before their memorial game honouring Holly and Bianca. Credit: Paul Jeffers
Both girls rose through the club’s junior ranks and won a premiership together in 2022. Bowles won another flag in 2023. However, Saturday’s match against Fitzroy was not a day for mourning. It was a day of celebration of the girls’ lives and legacy.
As the siren blared, the guard of honour incrementally crumbled as girls stopped to tearfully embrace one another, while spectators wearing pink hats and ribbons watched on.
Both junior and senior players gathered in a circle, with their hands around each other’s shoulders, while the Birds of Tokyo song Lanterns played softly in the background.
As the second siren blared to mark the start of the game, the players cheered and broke away. It was time to focus on the footy.
Players embrace before the game. Credit: Paul Jeffers
Club president Nick Heath said he had sought special permission from the league to blend pink into the traditional yellow and blue guernsey, which also features Bowles and Jones’ football numbers.
The No.32 guernsey Bowles wore in her first senior season in 2024 will be retired out of respect.
“We are planning to make this an annual tribute celebration of Holly and Bianca ... and whilst they’ve left us way too soon, they’ve still left a huge legacy,” Heath said on Saturday.
“To play in premierships, it’s not an easy thing to do, and both those girls did it in their under-18 year, which was quite remarkable in a lot of ways. So they’ve left a huge mark on our football club, and we’re just grateful to be able to celebrate them in this tribute game.”
The Beaumaris Sharks were first on the scoreboard with a point. However, Fitzroy swiftly answered with a goal and led for the first quarter.
A brilliant mark and subsequent goal by the home-town heroes in the second quarter put the Sharks back in play, and a second goal in the final 10 seconds meant only one point separated the teams at half-time.
Fitzroy pulled ahead in the third, but the Sharks fought back in the final term, snapping an early goal to level the scores – much to the delight of the adoring home crowd.
Consecutive behinds and a goal helped Fitzroy sneak in front to win 39-28.
Players and spectators wore pink – Bowles and Jones’ favourite colour. Credit: Paul Jeffers
Saturday’s result did not seem to dampen the crowd’s spirits. Spectators cheered and waved their pink ribbons and formed another guard of honour for the Sharks into their change rooms.
Holly and Bianca’s parents, Samantha Morton and Shaun Bowles and Mark and Michelle Jones, stood silently together at a medal ceremony after the game, wiping away tears and holding hands – united in their grief and commitment to ensuring their girls’ legacy lives on.
The grieving parents are still waiting for the results of an investigation into their deaths, promised by the Laotian government.
In a complaint echoed by families in other countries, the Australians said they were upset at a lack of engagement from Laotian authorities who have made no direct contact with the families and refused to meet them, citing the ongoing investigation.
During the medal ceremony, the club announced the inaugural Shining Bright Awards – a special mateship accolade acknowledging the spirit of Bowles and Jones.
Saturday’s Shining Bright medal went to Sharks reserves player Bridget Scott and senior player Livinia Stockdale.
After the presentation, Mark Jones shared a few brief words, thanking the club and community for their unwavering support.
“We have been so appreciative of the love and support we’ve had from this community,” he said. “It’s honestly made us feel slightly better.”
Heath, the club president, said he hoped more visibility, attention and information would help “eradicate and stomp out” incidents of methanol poisoning for Australians abroad.
A tribute to the memory of Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles at the club where they played in a premiership.Credit: Paul Jeffers
“So if there’s an outcome where people’s lives are saved, then that’s the overwhelming benefit that can come from this horrible situation,” he said.
Heath said the girls were “imprinted in our hearts forever”, and said the Shining Bright awards would continue in their honour.
“These are the really important things that the footy club can do to keep their memory alive,” he said.
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