Vigils pay tribute to ‘the smile of Aya Maasarwe’

Aya Maasarwe’s body will begin its long journey home tomorrow, says her father.

Aya Maasarwe’s father, Saeed, takes part in a vigil with family and friends at the site of her murder at Bundoora in northern Melbourne yesterday. Picture: Jason Edwards

Aya Maasarwe’s body will begin its long journey home tomorrow, says her father, who physically embraced wellwishers yesterday at a makeshift memorial where she was killed last week.

Saeed Maasarwe said he hoped the examination of the body of his 21-year-old Arab Israeli daughter would be finished later today. “We hope tomorrow we can finish,” he said yesterday.

“The day after tomorrow (Tuesday), we can go back with my daughter Aya to be with all the family together again.”

This followed calls for the body to be released as quickly as ­possible.

Mr Maasarwe, who requested his daughter’s name be spelt “Aya” instead of “Aiia” as her passport states, joined more than 300 people who paid tribute to his daughter outside the Bundoora shopping centre where her body was found last Wednesday, which is filling up with flowers and other tributes.

Noor and Roba Maasarwe at a vigil in their sister’s Baka al-Gharbiye community.

He embraced wellwishers following a service that included readings from the Koran and speeches by Mr Maasarwe and his nephew Sharef, who flew to Melbourne from New York to support the grieving father.

“Don’t forget Aya,” he said. “Don’t forget (the) smile of Aya, and don’t forget the message we and Aya want to send to here, the people of the society … for love, for peace, for light. Not darkness. No grudges, no hate.

“The world is not black and white. (It’s) colourful. This will make the life and the world more nice and more beautiful.”

Roba, Lena, Aya, mother Khitam, father Saeed and Noor together in China.

Ms Maasarwe’s body was found 50m from her tram stop in Bundoora, and she was killed on her way back to her student accommodation after attending a comedy club in North Melbourne. She had been in Melbourne for five months as part of a year-long student exchange with La Trobe University.

Her cousin Sharef Maasarwe, who arrived yesterday morning, said he was touched by the support of the community: “Everyone … has the right to get home safe no matter where they are, no matter how late they’re out. Nobody deserves to go like that.”

The man charged with her rape and murder, Codey Herrmann, is due to have his case heard again in the Melbourne Magistrates Court today.

He faced court on Saturday. Some details of the alleged offences were suppressed after concern was raised that Ms Maasarwe’s family was not then aware of ­aspects of the charges.