The tragic suicide of 12-year-old Charlotte Frances O'Brien, a seventh-grade student at Santa Sabina College in Strathfield, has left the Sydney community devastated. Charlotte took her own life on September 9, reportedly after enduring persistent bullying from her classmates.
Her death has reignited calls for stronger action against bullying in schools and drawn attention to the serious impact it can have on young lives. The incident has prompted urgent discussions on the need for more effective anti-bullying measures.
Community Mourns Loss Of Charlotte
On Friday, students were given a day off to attend Charlotte's funeral at Mary Immaculate Catholic Church in Bossley Park, her primary school. Hundreds of grieving friends and family members began arriving at the church around 10 a.m., many wearing pink ribbons in their hair in honour of her favourite colour.
As the funeral service commenced, Charlotte's parents, Mat and Kelly, struggled to contain their tears as they carried their daughter's casket, adorned with lavender and butterflies, into the church. However, when Kelly delivered her final eulogy, she was overcome with emotion and began to sob, finding it difficult to speak through her grief.
There wasn't a dry eye in the church as she spoke. "The first moment I held her in my arms will always be the best day of my life. I knew within a moment of being her mother that I had met my soulmate - my best friend, she was wise beyond her years," Kelly said through tears.
After the service, as Kelly stood to follow her daughter's casket out of the church, she was overcome with sorrow and cried in anguish, her head buried in her hands. In her eulogy, Kelly shared that Charlotte loved swimming and often joked about becoming like Moana and never leaving the ocean.
"I will miss everything about you, baby. I will miss our hugs, your kisses, your love, your beautiful smile, and how every day you would ask me how my day was. I will always grieve the life you never had. I will miss you every day that ends in Y. I will never be OK without you, not even for a day," she said.
"Now, my Angel, I can't wait to go to sleep so I can see you in our dreams." Charlotte's stepfather Mat said: "I love you. Thank you for being you. Thank you for being so thoughtful, so kind, thank you for being so brave."
"Thank you for letting me take your mum out on our first date - I was under strict instructions that I needed Charlotte's approval and I received it. Thank you for giving me the greatest honour to be your dad," he continued.
A Tragic Outcome Of Bullying
While Charlotte's parents did not explicitly mention the years of bullying their daughter endured at school during the funeral service, the priest emphasised the prevalence of bullying, noting that one in three children is subjected to it. He urged the mourners to be mindful of this issue.
"One in three children are bullied in communities all over the world," he said. "There is a responsibility in the world. starting at home and in our communities. Where we do we go from here? How are we going to move forward from here? We all experience good and bad."
Earlier, Charlotte's mother shared the final message she sent to the school after her daughter's passing. "My beautiful girl took her own life last night because of the relentless friendship issues she faced," she wrote.
"She didn't deserve to go to and from school crying almost every day. She didn't deserve girls to bark in her face or scream out her name and run away, to purposely hit her with their bag and say 'whoops.'"
"She didn't deserve the pain she was in. She deserved love and kindness. She deserved to be treated with dignity and respect," she added. Charlotte's parents found suicide notes in her bedroom, written in delicate pink handwriting, imploring them to share her story and raise awareness about the devastating consequences of bullying.
Charlotte pleaded with her parents to "tell the school" about the torment she endured, stating that her life had become "too hard." In a separate note, she referred to Will, her infant brother. "Please, Mama, live for Will because I can't anymore," she wrote.
Her father previously shared with the media one of the most troubling aspects of her death: How happy she seemed to be on her final day. "We had such a great last day with her,' he said. 'I hadn't seen her that happy coming home from school in a long time."
He recalled how she was full of life while eating her favorite dish, creamy chicken pasta, for dinner, answering every question correctly in her math homework, and performing "little happy dances." She also baked banana bread and shared a piece with her father. According to her father, she was still in a good mood.
After playing with her mother and younger brother, she said good night and "literally skipped to the shower." Mat said, "That was the last time we saw her alive, and we couldn't understand what had happened."
Police Investigation And Family's Disbelief
The police informed the couple that individuals may appear happy before taking their own lives because they believe their problems will be resolved. However, Charlotte's parents vehemently rejected this explanation.
Mat shared that the family had discussed their upcoming vacation; Charlotte had expressed a desire for a road trip and had planned math problems to work on together the next day. "This is not a girl that was planning on doing this. Something happened when she went to her bedroom," he said.
Police are examining Charlotte's phone to see what messages she received in her final hours. Charlotte's mother, Kelly, was consumed by guilt and regret, questioning why her daughter hadn't simply come to her for a hug that night.
Kelly describes her daughter as the "sweetest, kindest, toughest, strongest little diva you've ever met in your life."
A Fundraiser For Kids Helpline And Call For Schools To Address Bullying
Charlotte's parents, Mat and Kelly O'Brien have launched a fundraiser for children's mental health support in the wake of their 12-year-old daughter's suicide. The couple said, "Charlotte "would never want us to be broken."
They established Charlotte's Legacy, an online fundraiser for Kids Helpline. In the weeks following their daughter's tragic death, Charlotte's parents have publicly advocated for schools to take bullying complaints and concerns seriously.
Mat revealed that they had spoken to the school multiple times about bullying but alleged that significant action was not taken. "I am not after any retribution; it's not about that. I know I'm dealing with 12-year-old girls here," he told 2GB's Ben Fordham last week.
Mat has also urged for a change in the rhetoric surrounding bullying in schools. "I've heard these phrases used, we call them friendship issues. It's not called a friendship issue in the workplace," he said.
"It's called what it is and it's dealt with in the way it needs to be dealt with," he added. Santa Sabina College principal Paulina Skerman announced in the school's latest newsletter that Headspace, a youth mental health provider, will be conducting sessions to assist students in navigating "grief, sadness, uncertainty, and confusion."
She also expressed concern regarding media coverage of Charlotte's death. "Suggestions of a culture of bullying at the college are confronting and go against the very fabric of our faith and the way we live our lives," she wrote.
"They are certainly contrary to what we have witnessed in our community over the last few weeks." Skerman extended an invitation to meet personally with any parents with questions or concerns about the school's handling of bullying.
However, more needs to be done. While a few students, like Charlotte, might tragically resort to suicide, others may adopt a violent response to bullying, as evidenced by the case of a 17-year-old boy who went on a shooting spree at a school in Iowa in January, allegedly motivated by his frustration with bullying.
