A three-year-old girl who was left on a day care minibus in Central Queensland for six hours last week has been reunited with her entire family at her home in Gracemere.
Running and playing with her family and siblings, Nevaeh Austin seemed in good spirits on Tuesday morning, with her family extremely happy to have her home.
Nevaeh's grandmother Pamela Parker said it was wonderful to have the house filled with noise again.
"I like the noise, the noise is good to hear," she said.
The family flew into Rockhampton yesterday afternoon after Nevaeh was discharged from hospital.
"Watching her come out of that car [was the] best feeling ever, absolute best feeling ever," Ms Parker said.
The toddler was flown to the Queensland Children's Hospital in a critical condition last week after she was found unconscious on the childcare centre bus last Wednesday.
Paramedics revived the three-year-old on the floor of Le Smileys Early Learning Centre.
Police later revealed Nevaeh had been the only child to be picked up on the bus before she was left behind for six hours.
Nevaeh to receive counselling after 'traumatic' event
Nevaeh's father Shane Austin said his daughter was doing well but was also somewhat overwhelmed with the media attention.
He said Nevaeh was very happy to see her family again and especially her siblings.
"All the kids were waiting at the front for us, it was good, everybody was," he said.
Mr Austin said going forward the family was focusing on Nevaeh's recovery.
"I think she still doesn't know what happened to her … she might get dreams or flashbacks, but we'll get counselling for that," he said.
"[Now] it's like it never happened [for her], but I think it will come back eventually.
Mr Austin especially wanted to thank all the hospital staff, emergency services and Ronald McDonald House for their assistance in the last week.
"They've done a magnificent job, and they're still doing a magnificent job to this day, I can't praise them enough," he said.
Ms Parker echoed those thanks.
"My granddaughter's alive thanks to your help, she wouldn't be here otherwise," she said.
Austin family yet to hear from childcare centre
Mr Austin said he was "still dumbfounded" about how the incident happened.
Police said they were yet to lay any charges over the incident and investigations were continuing.
"It's going to be a long road for that," Mr Austin said.
"They're [police] doing the best they can, as quick as they can, with all the information they can get."
He said he personally had still not had any contact from the childcare centre.
"I think something needs to be put in place, the day care should be shut down," he said.
"I feel for the family up north, this would've just opened wounds … and this should [never] happen again," he said, referring to the death of three-year-old Maliq Nicholas Floyd Namok-Malamoo who was left on a childcare bus in Cairns.
Ms Parker said she also had not had contact from the centre and agreed the week had been a blur.
"The last week has been very quiet, very sombre … [there was] a whole lot of emotions for everybody.
"I've got no words for it, I really don't. The whole day, all I kept thinking [was] 'my god, my poor little granddaughter in that van, screaming her heart out'".
She said Nevaeh's siblings asked a lot of questions about what had happened.
"[They were asking] 'where's my sister? Where's my mum? Where's my dad?' How to explain to them?" Ms Parker said.
"Going forward, our focus is on our family."
