Heartache of losing Dolly heals by curbing bullying

Tick and Kate Everett, who lost their teen girl Dolly to suicide, are being recognised today for using the tragedy to curb bullying.

Northern Territory cattle graziers Tick and Kate Everett have been named Australia’s Local Heroes for 2019 for their efforts in raising awareness of cyber-bullying after their daughter, Dolly, committed suicide last year. Picture: Gary Ramage

In some ways, life for Kate and Tick Everett goes on, even after the tragic suicide of their 14-year-old daughter Dolly a little over a year ago.

The cattle graziers still have a boatload of beasts to load early on Monday for export and the Local Hero award the couple have won for their advocacy work on cyber-bullying is a surreal but small blip in an otherwise busy year.

Amy “Dolly” Everett took her life in early January last year after escalating bullying, and the image of that smiling girl with her big hat captured the hearts of a nation. “Something did click,” Mr Everett told The Weekend Australian. “I don’t know what you call it, whether it was that little face or whether she’s a bush kid and it doesn’t happen to bush kids, but a lot of people say it was how we handled it with social media, but it was never intended to be what it is.”

From their grief, a movement was born and Dolly’s Dream was created to help children become aware of, and deal with, online bullying. It’s a legacy for Dolly.

Kate Everett says the foundation has been focused on bullying, for now, but the couple want to build it into a suicide-prevention platform, especially following the deaths of at least five indigenous children who have ended their own lives already this year.