Thousands of Australians gathered at candlelight vigils across the country on Thursday evening to honour a five-year-old Indigenous girl whose suspected murder has shaken the nation.
The child, referred to as Kumanjayi Little Baby for cultural reasons, disappeared from the Old Timers/Ilyperenye town camp near Alice Springs on 25 April. Her body was found five days later, about five kilometres south of the camp, after a massive community-led search involving hundreds of volunteers.
A 47-year-old man, Jefferson Lewis, has been charged with murder and two other offences that have not been publicly disclosed for legal reasons.
The case is due back in court on 30 July.
The death of the five-year-old, who was also non-verbal, has triggered an outpouring of grief nationwide, with vigils held in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra and Hobart, along with dozens of smaller regional communities.
Mourners were asked to wear pink, the young girl’s favourite colour, and many arrived carrying pink balloons, ribbons, candles and flowers, local media reported.
The vigil in her hometown of Alice Springs is being held to create “a space for everyone to channel their grief and show their support to the family”, mayor Asta Hill said in a social media post.
At the main vigil in Alice Springs, hundreds gathered at Anzac Oval. Traditional smoking ceremonies were held, and families lit candles in silence.
In a message read out at the gathering, the girl’s mother described her daughter as a “special” child who loved puppies.
“She loved watching Bluey and Masha and the Bear, APT by Bruno Mars and Rose, Golden by Kpop Demon Hunters. She loved playing Minecraft with her big brother.
“She was my little princess. My princess who loved the colour pink.”
The grieving mother, via a spokesperson, also told mourners that her “heart is broken into a million pieces” and that she did not know how she could live without her daughter.
“I want you to know how I am having trouble knowing how I can repair it and knowing how I can live without my little baby.
“Your support, prayers and love have provided me with great comfort.”
Ms Hill told the girl’s family: “We are here, we are with you, and we support you. We will listen, we will be still, we will collectively grieve and we will lean on one another.”
In Melbourne, hundreds gathered in the city’s inner north dressed in pink shirts and ribbons as Indigenous leaders led a smoking ceremony – involving the burning of native plants to produce smoke with cleansing properties – a minute’s silence, and speeches focused on unity and healing.
“It’s important for people to come here so they know that we are in this together,” organiser Natasha Ellis-Corrigan said. “We come together in unity, to grieve together, but also to comfort each other in times of need.”
In Canberra, the National Carillon was illuminated in pink while mourners gathered carrying candles and flowers.
Ngunnawal Elder Aunty Violet Sheridan said the child’s death had caused “a lot of pain” across the country.
“I send my love and prayers to her family,” she said. “They’ve lost someone some dearly loved and so young.”
She told Australian Broadcasting Corporation: “We need to stand with them and will get through this together as a nation.”
In Sydney, mourners filled Town Hall Square, writing messages of support and grief on a large memorial canvas beside candles, flowers and Aboriginal flags.
Aunty Rita Wright, 73, told the BBC that she travelled from Mount Druitt in Sydney’s west to be at the vigil. “I’ve got family up there”.
“It means a lot to be here, to pay respect as all Aboriginals do.”
Reports said that a song by Aboriginal musician Dr G Yunupingu was drifting softly through the gathering in the background, adding to the evening’s sombre atmosphere.
On the Sunshine Coast, families gathered beside the Maroochy river at Cotton Tree Park for another smoking ceremony, while in Perth about 150 people attended a vigil surrounded by balloons.
“The death of this young girl has broken many hearts,” organiser Megan Krakouer said. “This is about humanity, kindness … and to show when something affects one of us, it affects all of us.”
In Adelaide, a fire pit burned during a minute’s silence as mourners listened to Amazing Grace, while sunset vigils in Hobart, Launceston and Burnie drew dozens carrying candles in solidarity.
The death has also intensified pressure on Northern Territory authorities. Child protection minister Robyn Cahill confirmed three child protection staff members were stood down during an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the girl’s death, though two have reportedly since been reinstated.
