The mother of a 12-year-old Sydney school girl who took her own life following a severe case of bullying has broken down at her daughter’s funeral, saying: ‘I will grieve the life you never had’.
Charlotte O’Brien, a Year 7 student at Santa Sabina College in Strathfield, made the decision to end her own life on September 9 following years of relentless harassment at the hands of her classmates.
Students had a pupil-free day on Friday so they could attend her funeral at her primary school, Mary Immaculate Catholic Church in Bossley Park.
Loved ones started gathering at the church from about 10am, many with pink ribbons in their hair because it was her favourite colour.
As the service began, her parents Mat and Kelly tried to hold back their tears as they carried their daughter’s casket through the church, which was decorated with lavender and butterflies.
Kelly then broke down while saying goodbye to her daughter.
‘The first moment I held her in my arms will always be the best day of my life,’ she said, through tears.
‘I knew within a moment of being her mother that I had met my soulmate – my best friend, she was wise beyond her years.’
Hundreds of friends, students and teachers are expected to attend Charlotte’s funeral on Friday
Charlotte O’Brien’s mother, Kelly, can be seen crying over her daughter’s coffin before the funeral
Charlotte’s parents, Mat and Kelly, carried their daughter’s coffin into the church (pictured)
Kelly said her daughter loved swimming and would joke that she was going to ‘be like Moana and never leave the ocean’.
She continued: ‘I will miss everything about you, baby. I will miss our hugs, your kisses, your love, your beautiful smile, and how every day you would ask me how my day was.’
‘I will always grieve the life you never had. I will miss you every day that ends in Y.’
At times, she was completely overwhelmed by emotion and struggled to speak.
Her step-father, Mat, said: ‘I love you. Thank you for being you.’
‘Thank you for being so thoughtful, so kind, thank you for being so brave.
‘Thank you for letting me take your mum out on our first date – I was under strict instructions that I needed Charlotte’s approval and I recieved it. Thank you for giving me the greatest honour to be your dad’.
He then read the last Father’s Day card where she describes him as ‘more than a captain’.
She wrote: ‘Dear Dad, I will always cherish you as I sow my seeds and become the captain you taught me to be.’
‘You are also like the sea. You can be calm and powerful. Strong when you have to be.’
Charlotte’s parents did not expressly mention the years of harassment their daughter struggled through.
However, the priest pointed out that one in three children are bullied and asked mourners to be mindful.
Charlotte’s parents (pictured at their daughter’s funeral) cried as they delivered her eulogy
Charlotte’s friends wore pink ribbons in their hair, which was her favourite colour
Charlotte O’Brien’s casket was covered with painted butterflies and lavender (pictured)
‘One in three children are bullied in communities all over the world,’ he said.
‘There is a responsibility in the world. starting at home and in our communities. Where we do we go from here? How are we going to move forward from here? We all experience good and bad.
‘At these times we must grow our heart and minds in god’s work, we must continue to move forward.’
Her parents found her suicide notes in her bedroom – written in small pink handwriting, she urged them to share her story to raise awareness about the impact of bullying.
She asked them to ‘tell the school’ about the torment she went through, saying her life had become ‘too hard’.
Another note referred to her infant brother, Will. She wrote: ‘Please, Mama, live for Will because I can’t anymore.’
Her father previously told media one of the more troubling aspects of her death was how happy she appeared to be on her final day.
Charlotte’s mother, Kelly, is pictured holding her youngest child at the funeral on Friday
Mourners gathered at the church for Charlotte O’Brien’s funeral on Friday (pictured)
On the night she died, Charlotte seemed to be overly happy and making plans for the future
‘We had such a great last day with her,’ he said.
‘I hadn’t seen her that happy coming home from school in a long time.’
He said Charlotte was bubbling as she ate her favourite dish, creamy chicken pasta, for dinner, got every question right in her math homework and was doing ‘little happy dances’.
She also baked banana bread and took a piece to her father, still in a good mood.
After playing with her mum and little brother she said good night and ‘literally skipped to the shower’.
‘That’s the last time we saw her alive and we could not understand what had happened,’ Mat said.
Police told the couple that people can appear happy before taking their own life because they believe their problems will be solved, but Charlotte’s parents have strongly rejected that explanation.
Mat said the family had discussed their upcoming holiday, Charlotte had wanted to do a road trip, and planned math problems to work on together the next day.
‘This is not a girl that was planning on doing this. Something happened when she went to her bedroom,’ he said.
Police are searching Charlotte’s phone to see what messages she was receiving in her last hours.
Her mother, Kelly, was wracked with guilt and regret, asking why her daughter didn’t just come ‘and get me to give her a hug that night’.
She described her daughter as the ‘sweetest, kindest, toughest, strongest little diva you’ve ever met in your life’.
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