Flowers pile up in honour of Alice Springs mother and baby

Flowers piled up on the Alice Springs court lawns at the weekend in honour of the mother and baby slain in a murder-suicide.

YELLOW, red and pink flowers adorned the lawns of the Alice Springs court on Sunday in honour of the mother and baby slain in a murder-suicide.

The vigil, organised by Tangentyere Women’s Family Safety Group (TWFSG), The Equality Institute and Women’s Safety Services of Central Australia, was a week after the bodies of a 30-year-old woman and her 14-week-old baby were found on July 17.

The body of a 41-year-old man was also found.

“Thank you to everyone who came to pay their respects and lend their support,” a post from TWFSG said.

“Our community has suffered a dreadful loss but we can come together and show this mother and baby are loved, they are missed and we all want the violence to stop.”

Flowers at the vigil for the mother and baby in Alice Springs. Picture: Tangentyere Women’s Family Safety Group

In her first public comment since the incident, Senator Jacinta Price condemned the lack of national outrage for the deaths.

“It has only just become made public what the family of the slain young mother and her baby boy already knew days ago,” she wrote on social media.

“She and her baby were murdered. Murder-suicide doesn’t simply happen. There is usually a history of violence already. I’m told by those close to the mother whose life was taken too early that the perpetrator was known to authorities and that he had a history of violence.

“The usual outraged protesters are deafeningly silent.

“Where are the marches in our capital cities? Where are the demands for justice for women and children who keep being slaughtered at the hands of those who are supposed to love and protect them?”

‘Our hearts are hurting’: Vigil for slain mum and baby

A BED of flowers will bloom on the lawns of the Alice Springs court in a vigil for a slain mother and baby.

The memorial has been organised after the bodies of a 30-year-old woman and her baby were found alongside the body of a 41-year-old man and a gun on Sunday, July 17.

Police are investigating the fatal domestic violence incident.

The vigil, organised by Tangentyere Women’s Family Safety Group, The Equality Institute and Women’s Safety Services of Central Australia, will be held on the Court Lawns from 11am to 12pm on Sunday, July 24.

Tangentyere said everyone was invited to the service at Mparntwe, Alice Springs a week after the fatal incident.

“A lot of people in our community are hurting over the loss of a mother and her baby,” the vigil notice said.

“Let’s come together to lay a flower and leave a message of support.

“Together we say no to violence.”

Tangentyere said the vigil was not only a rallying cry to stop the violence but a time of healing, reflection and support.

Days after the shooting, Tangentyere said the community was “overwhelmed with sadness”.

The vigil will be held on the Court Lawns from 11am to 12pm on Sunday, July 24. Picture: Emma Murray

“Again, we are grieving the loss of another woman and child from our community because of family violence,” Tangentyere said.

“Again, we mourn a sister, cousin, auntie, young mother and friend.

“We are so very sad at the loss of the little one.”

“Our hearts are hurting. Sometimes it feels like they don’t have a chance to heal.

“But our voices say enough, the violence must stop.”

Women’s Safety Services of Central Australia said it was extremely distressing to hear the news of yet another domestic homicide, saying support was out there to those impacted.

“We grieve and honour a resilient and strong mother and her child,” WoSSCA said.

“We are angry and shocked.”

Family and loved ones in Darwin have already held a memorial to the mother and baby, referred to as ATJK and OSAK.

Green and blue balloons were released into the sky as family and loved ones attended a memorial at East Point on Monday afternoon.

“Fly high my baby sister and sonny boy,” an organiser wrote on Facebook.

Facebook was flooded with drawings of a mother embracing her child over a red bottlebrush flower on the backdrop of the Aboriginal flag.

An online memorial has appeared for the Central Australian mother and baby lost to a fatal domestic violence incident on Sunday July 17.

The tribute was accompanied with the rallying cries to #StandUp and #SpeakOut.

The Alice Springs incident was one of two alleged fatal domestic violence incidents over three days.

A 26-year-old woman has been charged over an alleged domestic violence-related death of her 33-year-old female relative in Katherine on Tuesday night.

National media condemned for coverage of shooting deaths

POLICE Minister Kate Worden has criticised the national media after the shooting death of a woman and baby in a remote community, arguing if it had happened on the East Coast, it would have been front page news around the nation.

The bodies of two adults and a baby were found at a property 25km north of Alice Springs on Sunday.

The news was on the front page of the NT News and the Centralian Advocate edition of the NT News, but did not get a lot of coverage from media across the rest of the nation.

“To be frank, if this was a white woman and her child on the eastern sea board this would have been front page news (nationally),” she said.

“It wasn’t.

NT News front page July 19, 2022 after two adults and a baby were shot dead.

“So if it’s a race based issue, then let’s call it as it is.

“This is an Aboriginal family. They are Territorians.

NT Police Minister Kate Worden has criticised the national coverage of domestic violence in the Northern Territory. Picture: (A)manda Parkinson

“And they have been subject to domestic violence.

“The national media can report on that and they can help us put some pressure on the federal government around providing additional funding so we can provide more services and get in to prevent it.

“Because it’s here and perhaps because it may be hidden … it hasn’t got the traction that it needs.

“I just hope that nationally they understand that these sorts of incidents are not one-off and that we need national support to make sure that this doesn’t keep happening here in the Territory.”

Outpouring of grief for two adults and baby found dead outside of Alice Springs

THE Northern Territory community is overflowing with grief after the bodies of two adults and a baby were found in Alice Springs.

Members of the Alice Springs and wider community took to social media after police reported the bodies were found at a property 25km north of the town on Sunday.

“Police located a firearm at the scene and we are treating this as a domestic violence incident,” said Acting Commander Mark Grieve.

Police have declared a crime scene, with Regional Crime investigating.

“My little sister and baby nephew — I don’t even want to believe it,” Tamina Inkamala Raggett shared.

“Rest easy my big sister & baby son,” Morriszetta Martin posted.

“Little one never done nothing … how can anyone do this,” Heidi Patterson wrote.

“Devastating, condolences to the families,” wrote MJ Blomley.

“Condolences to family and friends,” said Tracey Jane Haneveld.

“Condolences to the family,” Jane Dolly Craig.

Araluen MLA Robyn Lambley shared her disbelief at the incident and said she was made aware it was domestic violence related.

“Once again our community is left speechless, heartbroken, angry and confused by a horrific, senseless loss of young lives,” she said.

Independent MLA Robyn Lambley has shared her disbelieve after two adults and a baby were found dead near Alice Springs. Picture: Che Chorley

“People have told me that this was a highly violent, highly volatile household. It was described to me as ‘a tragedy waiting to happen’.

“This family was well known to the police and Territory Families in Alice Springs.

“But it is impossible for the police and domestic violence workers to track these high risk families 24/7.

“It is often impossible for the extended family to intervene.

“Clearly we are not getting any closer to stopping or even reducing domestic and family violence in the NT.

“I hope this is the defining tragic case that will make people rethink their attitude and approach to domestic and family violence.

“Opening up the ‘rivers of grog’ on hundreds of Aboriginal communities, town camps and outstations from Saturday is probably the greatest backwards step in addressing domestic violence in the history of the NT.”

Originally published as Flowers pile up in honour of Alice Springs mother and baby