An angel sent down from heaven to look after her mum has now returned home too soon.
That’s how the heartbroken parents of 12-year-old Charlotte, the Santa Sabina student who took her own life earlier this month, have remembered her.
Hundreds of mourners packed into the Mary Immaculate Catholic Church in Bossley Park, many wearing touches of pink, to say goodbye to Charlotte.
Her mother Kelly and her father Mat, along with Charlotte’s aunties and uncles, carried her coffin decorated in butterflies and purple flowers.
Kelly and Mat delivered the eulogy, paying tribute to their “soulmate” who was “wise beyond her years”.
“I will always grieve the life you never had. I won’t just miss you on special occasions like your birthday, I’ll miss you every day that ends with Y,” Kelly said through tears.
Parents Kelly and Mat say farewell to Charlotte outside the Mary Immaculate Catholic Church in Bossley Park.Credit: Janie Barrett
“You used to tell me when you were a child you were an angel watching me from heaven. You saw I needed you, so you popped into my belly.
“I don’t know why you went home baby, because I still need you.”
Kelly shared memories of Charlotte as a generous girl who was like a “little mummy” to her baby brother and loved holidays. She would go out of her way to help her mum, such as cleaning the kitchen while Kelly slept.
“I couldn’t wait to go to sleep so I could see you in the morning. Now, my angel, I can’t wait to go to sleep so I can see you in my dreams,” she said.
The order of service for the funeral of Santa Sabina student Charlotte and pictures of her and her family,
Kelly said she would try her best to live on and fulfil Charlotte’s dreams, like holidaying in New York and Disneyland.
Mat thanked Charlotte for letting him into her life when he first met Kelly and giving her stamp of approval.
“Thank you for giving me the greatest honour – of being your dad,” he said.
Mat read from the last Father’s Day card he would receive from Charlotte, where she described him as her “captain”.
The Santa Sabina student struggled with what her parents described as “friendship issues” at the school, and cried almost every day on her way to class.
In a letter left for her parents, Charlotte described the bullying she endured at the Strathfield private school, and told them her life was too difficult to continue.
Experts say suicide is complex and is rarely attributable to a single factor. Common risk factors for youth suicide are a mental health condition or a physical disability, but bullying, family problems and grief are also risk factors.
Charlotte’s death has shone a spotlight on how schools handle cases of bullying among students.
Her parents say they raised issues of bullying multiple times with Santa Sabina and were disappointed with the response.
Charlotte’s parents were taking her to therapy and were in the process of moving her to a different school when she died.
In response to claims from Kelly and Mat that they raised Charlotte’s bullying with the school, a spokesperson for Santa Sabina said the allegations were new or inconsistent with their records.
The school has called in counsellors, mental health experts from headspace and chaplains. Santa Sabina’s bullying policy was updated in March 2023.
Support is available through Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636, Lifeline on 13 11 14, Sane on 1800 187 263, and Dolly’s Dream on 0488 881 033.
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