State government to pay for Charlie’s funeral; Mum wants it to be a ‘private’ affair

‘I just want her to rest in peace’, Charlie’s grieving mother has said, after she accepted the state’s offer to pay for her funeral. Crystal Nowland wants it to be a private affair.

The mother of six-year-old Charlie, who tragically died a week ago, will accept a state government offer to cover the funeral costs and says she wants her little girl’s ashes scattered at one of her favourite camping spots on the Murray.

Speaking with The Advertiser on Friday, Crystal Nowland, 46, said she wanted the funeral to be a “private” affair.

“I just want her to rest in peace,” she said.

Ms Nowland, who has been at the centre of a police investigation this week into potential neglect of her daughter, said Charlie “didn’t care about muddy water” so loved going camping on the river.

“She liked running around playing,” she said.

Charlie’s mother Crystal Nowland. Picture: Tom Huntley

Charlie is remembered as cheeky and headstrong. Picture: Supplied

In a statement to The Advertiser on Friday, a spokesman confirmed the government would help farewell Charlie.

“The state government will offer financial assistance to ensure Charlie has a caring, compassionate and appropriate funeral,” he said.

However, no formal offer has yet been made.

The commitment from the state government came a week after Charlie died of malnutrition.

It came as Charlie’s family shared a video of the six-year-old exclusively with The Advertiser.

It shows Charlie dancing and singing in the lounge room of her Munno Para home. The video was captured three weeks before Charlie’s fifth birthday.

Her mum said one of Charlie’s favourite things to do was sing and dance.

“She loved her dancing and her TikToks,” she said.

On Wednesday, The Advertiser revealed Charlie had been diagnosed with coeliac disease, a digestive disorder triggered by gluten that affects the small intestine and can lead to malnourishment.

Ms Nowland told the paper on Thursday that she had only learnt Charlie had coeliac disease after her daughter’s death.

She also said the Coroner had told her on Monday that Charlie suffered from a hereditary heart disease which affected blood flow to the organ.

On Friday she said one of her other children was diagnosed as coeliac 12 years ago.

She said Charlie had not shown the same signs of illness.

She said if she had, she would have provided a gluten-free diet as she had done for her other child.

“She never had the same (stomach) pains,” she said. “She never had the same symptoms.”

One of the last photographs taken of Charlie, who died, aged 6, last week. Picture: 7NEWS

Charlie’s non-attendance at school was revealed earlier in the week.

However Ms Nowland said her daughter refused to attend school because of the bullying her siblings endured.

Ms Nowland said she believed she did not receive the support she needed from the Child Protection Department despite asking to be enrolled in courses and programs.

On Monday, police announced the establishment of Task Force Prime to investigate suspected criminal neglect. No charges have been laid.

Originally published as State government to pay for Charlie’s funeral; Mum wants it to be a ‘private’ affair