A mother whose 16-year-old daughter took her own life was devastated to learn the teenager’s grave had been trashed by twisted vandals.
Melissa Wilkinson was visiting Skyla Loma’s memorial at Redcliffe Cemetery, north of Brisbane, on Sunday November 10 when she realised a candle holder and vase had been smashed to pieces.
‘I was having a pretty bad day and I thought I would just go there and let out the grief because I hold it back a lot,’ Ms Wilkinson told Daily Mail Australia.
The Queensland mother said she was ‘planning to have a big cry’ at the site. What she saw when she get there exacerbated her grief.
‘There was glass everywhere, over the next grave even. Her glass candle holder had been smashed as well,’ Ms Wilkinson said.
Melissa Wilkinson (left) was visiting Skyla Loma’s (right) memorial at Redcliffe Cemetery, north of Brisbane, on Sunday November 10 when she realised a candle holder and vase had been smashed to pieces
Pictured: Skyla Loma’s grave before the vase and candle holder were vandalised. The vase is not on the memorial in this picture. Ms Wilkinson has since added fake grass around the site
She initially questioned whether the wind could have blown the items over, but realised it wouldn’t have been possible due to the vase’s heavy base.
‘When I first saw it, I just left because I was quite shocked. I came back after composing myself,’ she said.
‘I was angry and hurt, what sort of people would do that?’
‘It’s really disrespectful and I’ve heard it’s been happening quite a lot.’
Ms Wilkinson said she knows of another family who have had belongings stolen from the grave of a child.
Her partner also lives near the cemetery and said people often ‘hang out’ there during the night time.
‘It’s hard enough as it is. But having to see that, it’s just wrong,’ she said.
‘I’ve spent a lot of time making her grave look pretty.’
Skyla took her own life on Easter Sunday 2017, after a battle with depression
Ms Wilkinson (right) described her daughter (left) as ‘beautiful’ and ‘kind’
Ms Wilkinson hopes the Moreton Bay Regional Council will install CCTV cameras to deter attacks at the cemetery in the future.
She is yet to speak to the council but said other people have addressed their concerns.
After the grave was vandalised, Ms Wilkinson posted about it on Facebook to vent her frustrations.
Ms Wilkinson runs a Facebook page, Things Can Change – Never Give Up, in honour of Skyla’s life
‘A lady I have never met has started a fundraiser to get Skyla a headstone, she saw my rant on Facebook,’ she said.
‘It made me cry and restored my faith in people. It’s good to see there’s still kindness in this cruel world.
‘I also got offers to help me clean up Skyla’s grave and the love and support I felt from the community was amazing.’
Skyla took her own life on Easter Sunday 2017, after a battle with depression.
‘She was beautiful and just kind,’ Ms Wilkinson said.
‘Some people are too perfect for this world.’
Ms Wilkinson runs a Facebook page, Things Can Change – Never Give Up, in honour of Skyla’s life.
She said she gets regular messages from supporters telling her the positive posts ‘help’ them.
‘It’s not weak to speak out, it takes a lot of courage, a lot of strength to say ‘hey I’m not doing good”,’ Ms Wilkinson said.
‘Those teenage years will be over in the blink of an eye.’
The vase which was smashed by vandals is seen in the middle of the grave
Speaking of Skyla (pictured), Ms Wilkinson said: ‘Some people are too perfect for this world’
On August 7, 2018, Ms Wilkinson marked what would have been her daughter’s 18th birthday.
‘Today we should be celebrating my daughter turning 18. Instead, I have been sitting beside her grave,’ she wrote on the page.
‘My sweet precious Angel Skyla did not get a chance to go to her formal, to graduate high school, nor did she get a chance to go to schoolies week or get her drivers license.
‘She will never be able to have her first legal drink, or to vote. She will not get married, have children or see her younger brother achieve any of the above milestones.
Ms Wilkinson hopes the Moreton Bay Regional Council will install CCTV cameras to deter attacks at the cemetery in the future
‘She will never get the chance to realise that the pain she was feeling that day, the 15/04/17 would eventually get better.
‘She made an impulsive decision that has changed the lives of so many. A decision that ended her life and robbed her of so much. Robbed us of so much too.’
Before her death, Skyla created a picture book on mental health and suicide prevention for a school assessment.
The mother and daughter had dreams to get the book, Things Can Change, published to help other young people seek help.
Ms Wilkinson intends to follow through with their plan.
LIFELINE 13 11 14
Before her death, Skyla created a picture book on mental health and suicide prevention for a school assessment. The mother and daughter had dreams to get the book, Things Can Change, published in a bid to help other young people seek help. Ms Wilkinson intends to follow through with their plan