GoFundMe for Redland family of Dalton Walsh who died in house fire
A Redland Bay family has been left devastated after 21-year-old landscaper Dalton Walsh died in a house fire, prompting an outpouring of grief and community support.
This Christmas will be a heartbreaking one for the Walsh family of Redland Bay, with 21-year-old Dalton Walsh tragically losing his life when the family’s Housing Commission home was engulfed by fire on Tuesday.
Dalton’s mother, Bronwyn, who has already endured the unimaginable loss of two children before him, is now facing the grief no parent should ever have to bear a third time.
Ms Walsh said she was shattered, exhausted and overwhelmed, yet deeply grateful for the support pouring in from the community.
Dalton, who grew up in Redland and attended Capalaba State College, was a quiet young man who kept mostly to himself but shone brightly in the things he loved.
His mum said he was quirky, gentle and deeply loyal to the people closest to him.
Family members said he was happiest in his own space, doing the things that made him feel grounded and understood.
Over the past year, Dalton had taken real pride in what he had achieved, his mum said. Through the YMCA at Victoria Point, he completed his landscaping training, recently gaining his qualification after an apprenticeship program that gave him his first real taste of independence.
He had been preparing to look for work, determined to build a future he could be proud of. With his own wages, he saved up to buy a custom-built gaming PC tower, a symbol of his hard work and his love of gaming.
“He didn’t care what anyone thought,” his mum said.
“He was just him, quirky and happy in his own little world.”
Dalton was also a true car enthusiast.
Born on May 11, 2004, his mother said he could tell name every make and model, but his favourites were the R33 and R34 Skyline, which he always dreamt of owning.
Ms Walsh recalled a moment that perfectly captured his excitement when he was driving through Springwood, he put his head out the window to tell a man how much he loved his Subaru BRZ and to tell him “to rev it”.
The man gave him a wave, and Dalton talked about it for days afterwards — he was just so thrilled.
Those who Dalton described him as thoughtful, clever, and deeply affectionate in the quiet, understated way that was uniquely his, his mother said.
The fire that took his life has left his family and mother with nothing.
In the hours after the tragedy, staff from the YMCA arrived at the scene and laid white flowers for their former student and colleague, a gesture that deeply moved the family and reminded them of how Dalton touched the lives of those around him.
Close family friend Tahleah Berry from YMCA also created a GoFundMe appeal to help the family rebuild their lives and cover funeral costs.
“They’ve lost their house and they’ve lost someone they love,” she wrote.
“Anything will help them get back on their feet. They are amazing people.”
Ms Walsh, who works as a cleaner, and her family have been surrounded by neighbours, friends and members of the Redland community offering clothes, support and comfort as they try to comprehend both their grief and the loss of their home.
Dalton leaves behind a mother who adored him, his sister Santoria, his older brother Jaiye and grandmother Barbara Berg, who said the family was determined to honour his memory for generations to come.
“Fifty years from now we want our kids’ kids to know who he was — a beautiful, quirky soul who meant the world to us.”
On Wednesday, as Ms Walsh returned to what remained of the family home, police were still at the scene.
Officers stood behind a cordon as investigators worked methodically through the charred ruins.
She wept quietly in front of a small memorial of flowers placed at the top of the driveway — the closest she could get to the home where her son spent his final moments.
Dalton’s body has been taken to the John Tonge Centre for formal examination.
Police and fire investigators remain at the scene, and the cause of the blaze is still under investigation.
Originally published as GoFundMe for Redland family of Dalton Walsh who died in house fire
