By Marta Pascual Juanola
They gathered in hoodies emblazoned with his name and fought back tears as they released green, blue and black balloons into the sky to remember Oscar Hamilton – another teen taken too soon by knife violence.
Dozens of friends and family gathered on Friday outside the Melton West shopping centre where he was killed as a representative from Oscar’s family appealed for calm from those present and to remember the teenager as “a beautiful boy”.
Oscar Hamilton’s girlfriend, Briannan Hibbert, leads dozens of friends and supporters calling for an end to knife violence.Credit: Chris Hopkins
“This is about Oscar today,” she told the crowd.
“It’s about that beautiful boy we all know … not the person who did this.”
Oscar, 16, died at the Woodgrove Shopping Centre outdoor food court on Tuesday after being stabbed by another teen.
A 15-year-old boy, who cannot be identified due to his age, has been charged with one count of murder. Police believe the incident occurred during an argument between the pair.
Flowers, vapes, boxes of KFC and cans of energy drinks blanketed a bench outside the shopping centre in a tribute to Oscar, who friends described as a kind-hearted person who filled people’s lives with “light and joy”.
The family representative urged attendees to stop sharing the name and images of the alleged killer to avoid causing more anguish to the family. She asked Oscar’s friends to refrain from going to the charged teenage boy’s home and to focus on Oscar.
“We know that you’re hurting,” the family representative said. “Please stay safe.
“Keep this about Oscar. The detectives are doing their absolute best to help us.
Tributes for Oscar Hamilton outside the Woodgrove Shopping Centre.Credit: Chris Hopkins
“We all want justice for Oscar, but it needs to be done through the right channels.”
Attendees wearing hoodies bearing Oscar’s face and the words “Stop the violence” marched from the shopping centre to Melton Police Station as they called for an end to knife violence and a reformed criminal justice system.
Oscar Hamilton, 16, died in a stabbing at a Melton shopping centre on Tuesday,
Some had handcrafted their T-shirts using a permanent marker to write the words, “make my future safer” and “stop the knife violence in the youth”. Others had scribbled the letters “LLO”, an acronym for “Long Live Oscar”, on their arms.
“Stop knives, save lives,” the group chanted.
“Justice for Oscar”.
Terecia Page regarded Oscar as another son to her. The teenager had struck a friendship with Page’s son. They played footy together and were inseparable for most of their younger years.
“If they weren’t at Oscar’s house they were at my house,” Page told Nine News.
“That could have been my son. That could have been anyone’s son.”
The group gathered at Harry Allen Reserve where they embraced and sang the lyrics to the song See You Again by Whiz Khalifa blaring from the speakers of a silver Toyota sedan, and released the balloons. The green and blue balloons were chosen to reflect Oscar’s favourite colours. The white ones represented his “wings” and black for the violence that cut his life short.
Friend Airlea Tomlinson broke down as she spoke about the 16-year-old.
“It’s so hard to see that such a beautiful, sweet boy has been taken away,” Airlea said. “He always brought people happiness and made people smile. He just gave so much joy to everyone.”
Data released by the Crime Statistics Agency on Thursday shows youth crime in Victoria has soared to its highest level since 2010, with more than 23,000 incidents attributed to children aged 10 to 17 in the 12 months to June this year alone.
Victoria Police said it had become increasingly common for young offenders to become involved in robberies, car thefts, and assaults, while an investigation by The Age last year found household knives and machetes were routinely wielded by teenagers in brutal attacks.
Oscar’s alleged killer will return to court in January.
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