Hannah Clarke’s strength to live on

Suffering burns to 97 per cent of her body, Hannah Clarke fought to her final heartbeat.

Lloyd and Suzanne Clarke, parents of Hannah Clarke, at the vigil to remember Hannah and her three children at Bill Hewitt Reserve on Sunday. Picture: News Corp Australia

Hannah Clarke’s final hours were marked by pure strength. The kind of strength that comes from deep inside you, that cannot be defeated, not by fire, fumes, smoke or hate.

Suffering burns to 97 per cent of her body, Hannah fought to her final heartbeat.

Simon Farmer will never forget those hours in the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital intensive care unit with his wife, Lou, one of Hannah’s best friends.

They saw in that room what real strength was, in Hannah and also in her family.

The couple were among more than 1000 people who gathered in drizzling rain at a Camp Hill park on Sunday night to pay tribute to Hannah and her children.

Friends of Hannah Clarke, Simon and Lou Farmer with their daughter Heidi. Picture: Glenn Hunt

At home, Mr Farmer spoke to his two sons, aged seven and 10, who were wondering why their mum was so upset. Mr Farmer laid out what happened, who was responsible and why it had happened. It had happened because Hannah’s estranged husband, Rowan Baxter, was not strong like her. For all his toned physique, Baxter was the weakest man alive.

Mr Farmer vowed he would do his best to help his sons grow up strong. He shared that message with friends online, and they promised to do the same. It’s early days but this will be one of the key messages in a movement being championed by Hannah’s family, Small Steps for Hannah.

It will be symbolised by an ­imprint of Hannah’s foot, the only part of her body that was not burnt. “We were in the ICU and we knew there was no hope,’’ Mr Farmer told The Australian. “The nurse held up the footprint and said, ‘This is all we could get’. It was just an incredibly powerful moment.’’

Hannah’s family are grieving. But they are also determined.

Hannah Clarke and Lou Farmer. Picture: Supplied

“They’re heavily consumed with seeking a positive outcome,” Mr Farmer said. “One thing we’re all clear on is our conversations with boys that fathers have.

“If we can have a generation of young boys from here onwards that are all going to have the chat, they’re all going to hear it, hopefully from parents but also definitely in schools, about this is how Australian boys need to treat women.

“We’ve all heard from our dads how you don’t hit girls; we all know that. But it’s maybe a bit more of an in-depth chat as to what respecting women is all about, and also how we view male strength. I don’t see the point in saying we shouldn’t talk about strength in a physical term. That’s just silly and pointless. But we can add to it.”

Hannah’s family and friends have revealed how she suffered a decade of emotional abuse before leaving Baxter late last year. The couple had run a gym together but Baxter tried to control everything: what she wore, when they had sex.

She packed up and left with the children when Baxter was out, worried about their safety, taking out a restraining order, consulting police and adopting safety plans.

Baxter publicly professed his love for his children and fooled everyone. But family and friends are now coming to accept the couple’s daughters, Aaliyah, 6, and Laianah, 4, and son Trey, 3, were just another tool of control in his marriage.

On Wednesday they were tools of revenge, Baxter ambushing his family on their school run, throwing petrol on them and setting them alight in their car. The couple’s children, trapped in the back, became incidental victims to his rage at the woman who had finally said enough.

Mr Farmer said his eldest son asked why Baxter did it.

“I said because he’s weak. He was very, very upset that Hannah had left, that they’d broken up.

“I said he was unable to control his rage, his emotions, and this is what weak men do.

“The boys knew Row, knew him well, played with him at the gym, and Row is an ex-footy ­player and both my boys are pretty good rugby league players. And so you can associate Rowan with a physically strong man.

“I said he was that but that didn’t count so much. He didn’t have the strength and the will to control his emotions and his rage. That is the point I wanted to make to my sons, that that’s a form of strength you need to have, it’s ­incredibly important.

“You don’t allow your emotions to manifest itself into physical harm to others.”

Speaking to the audience massed at Sunday night’s vigil at Bill Hewitt Reserve, opposite Whites Hill State College where Hannah went to school and about a kilometre from where her life ended, Hannah’s father, Lloyd Clarke, thanked the community for its support since the tragedy.

“At times when it has seemed impossible to go on, we have drawn on the strength of our friends and family, but also the many strangers who have shown such kindness and reached out to us during this difficult time,” Mr Clarke said.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner and Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll addressed the crowd, along with Hannah’s friends and brother Nat.