- In short: The mother of one of six children killed in the Hillcrest jumping castle tragedy says a lack of communication about plans for a permanent memorial leaves her feeling "forgotten"
- What's next: The Tasmanian government's State Recovery Advisor has since written to families to confirm consultation will be its "first priority" once a designer is selected in the coming months
For Georgie Burt, the 17 months that have passed since her son was killed have done little to ease the pain.
"The tears still flow, my heart still aches," Ms Burt said.
"I still long for him as I did the day I lost him."
The tragic event unfolded on December 16, 2021, when a "mini tornado" lifted a jumping castle into the air at Tasmania's Hillcrest Primary School during end-of-year celebrations.
Six children died, including Ms Burt's son, Zane Mellor.
But amid her grief, Ms Burt has also been dealing with frustration and confusion.
It's not over one single issue, but a series of dissatisfactions, from the distribution of donations to the planning of community-wide recovery efforts.
In each case, she has felt out of the loop, including on what's set to become a permanent commemoration of those who died.
"There has been no consultation with the families about a memorial," she said.
"I feel sad. I feel forgotten."
Government promises consultation will be a 'priority'
The five other children who died that day were Peter Dodt, Jalailah Jayne-Maree Jones, Addison Stewart, Jye Sheehan and Chace Harrison.
Three children playing in inflatable balls were also seriously injured.
Following the one-year commemoration last December, the state government said planning for a permanent memorial would begin this year.
But Ms Burt said affected families were only given an update just over a week ago, after the ABC raised her concerns with the Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPAC).
In correspondence seen by the ABC, State Recovery Advisor Craig Limkin told the families a consultant was currently being sought to design the memorial, which would be funded by the government.
"The consultant will include you in their consultations as a first priority," he wrote, adding that input from the broader community would also be sought.
The consultations are expected to commence in the coming months.
Ms Burt said she was aware of two families who had previously provided suggestions about the memorial but there had been no response at the time.
"They wanted to make sure that DPAC knew their thoughts, but they heard nothing back," she said.
In his correspondence, Mr Limkin told the families that some of their previous suggestions had been noted and would be included in the planning process.
"We are conscious, however, that it has been several months since this feedback was received, which may mean that ideas have developed further or are different to those previously suggested," he wrote.
Ms Burt said she would like the memorial to be a "bright and beautiful representation" of the children involved in the tragedy.
"I feel it's really important to remember that they were children and they were adventurous, courageous and fun," she said.
"A place where we can not only mourn our children but go to with their families, siblings and friends to enjoy and remember these precious souls, would be fitting."
Donations to fund some community recovery efforts
In his correspondence, Mr Limkin also advised families that recovery efforts for the broader community were close to being finalised, following a survey by the Hillcrest Affected Area Recovery Committee (HAARC) late last year.
"The results from the HAARC survey showed that there was a need for more services such as skills development, support groups, workshops and seminars."
He confirmed some of the community-wide recovery services would be funded using donations from the Hillcrest Community Public Fund.
For Ms Burt, this has long been an issue of contention.
Launched by the government and local council two days after the tragedy, it replaced an initial GoFundMe campaign that had raised $1.4 million.
Its aim was to allow larger organisations, including the AFL, to contribute to the cause.
But unlike the GoFundMe campaign, which was solely for the affected families, the public fund expanded the support to include the school and the broader community.
The majority of the public fund's $800,000 has been provided to the families most directly affected.
However, Mr Limkin declined to disclose what proportion of the donations was being used for community recovery efforts overseen by the HAARC.
"The planning and recommendation process the HAARC are currently working through will inform how all of the donations allocated towards ongoing recovery initiatives for the Hillcrest Primary School community and the local community are distributed," he told the ABC.
Ms Burt has previously spoken to the media about the wider distribution of the donations, saying her discontent was not about the money itself, but her belief that the public's primary intention was to support the affected families.
"The whole process of this fund has been confusing and sad for the generous public and families," she said.
"I hope this is a situation that can be learnt from in the future."
Mr Limkin acknowledged the complexities surrounding fundraising campaigns following major incidents.
"We have seen in other states just how difficult it can be for public donations to reach the people they were raised for," he told the ABC.
"There is work being done nationally to address these issues, which we fully support."
Recovery efforts to take many years
The HAARC is comprised of community volunteers, as well as several council and government officials.
Ms Burt recommended it should also have a liaison officer to communicate its plans with the affected families, and to receive feedback.
The committee's chairman, Lauchie Avery, a former police commander, said he was open to the suggestion but flagged potential issues.
"It's something the committee could consider, but the complexities of being able to represent all family members' very diverse views may create some barriers."
He encouraged those with concerns to make contact.
"If they are confused, or don't understand, just reach out, and we'll try to explain as best we can," Mr Avery said.
Since its inception, he said the committee had worked to better understand the community's long-term needs.
As well as conducting the survey last year, it has facilitated a community forum with a psychologist and helped plan the one-year commemoration.
"It's all about trying to assist the community to recover as best as possible. And some of these committees go on for years, because recovery just doesn't occur overnight, or within six or eight or 12 months."
The Hillcrest incident will be the subject of a coronial inquest once legal issues surrounding a WorkSafe Tasmania investigation are resolved.
