Hundreds of mourners have gathered at a local school in Tasmania’s north-west to pay their respects to a fellow classmate and footballer who passed away suddenly last week.
16-year-old Samara Whitney was remembered at a heartbreaking service at Marist Regional College in Burnie on Thursday.
Whitney’s white coffin was decorated with football boots, jumpers and a trophy.
Her mother, Kym Smitheram, described her “baby girl” as kind-hearted, passionate and beautiful inside and out.
“You are passionate, dedicated and have a kind loving nature. You are a person who looks up to others and when you enter a room everyone takes notice,” Smitheram said.
“You are smart but don’t give yourself credit for how smart you are.”
“You are stunning and beautiful, inside and out.”
“You’re my girl, and you are the best thing that honestly happened to me 16 years ago.”
“I love you unconditionally and you will never know truly how much I do.”
“You are one in a million.”
“I would give anything in this world to have my little girl, to have my best friend, to have the one that used to pull my hair out and say ‘don’t wear that’.
“I know she is with us, and I love you Mara. It’s not goodbye, it’s just see you later.”
Whitney’s football coach, Tim Grey, praised her special talent and the impact she had on her teammates, coaches, family and friends.
“First game, seeing this little girl, knee-high to a grasshopper, up against some 17-year-olds who were fairly big … it was clear she had a special talent about her,” he said.
“Little did I know, over the years, I was about to see first-hand how special that talent was.”
A GoFundMe setup by friends of the family raised over $30,000 to help cover the funeral costs.
Whitney’s teammates formed a guard of honour and sang Samara’s football club’s song as her coffin was carried out of the Harcombe Centre.
If you need someone to talk to, call:
- Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit lifeline.org.au
- Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800
- MensLine Australia on 1300 789 978
- Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467
- Beyond Blue on 1300 22 46 36
- Headspace on 1800 650 890
- QLife on 1800 184 527
