Brooke was ‘nice soul’ who helped others
THE friend of a young woman who tragically lost her life earlier last week has shared some of his beloved memories and recalled some of her greatest achievements.
Brooke Dalton was the driver of a car that struck the back of a stationary truck in Dalby.
She sadly died at the scene. Sergeant Mick Hughes, who worked at the Dalby PCYC from 2012 to 2018, met “Brookie” when she was just 12 years old and remembered her as someone who was “capable of anything”.
“She never let us down, even if she was facing something that was hard for her,” he said.
“She saw the club as a place of safety which is exactly what it was and a place of fun, which she certainly had in the six years I saw her there.”
Sergeant Hughes said in the “thousands” of hours she had volunteered there, Brooke would help clean up the club, assist at sausage sizzles and even took part in an epic journey to Cambodia where the group built homes for the community.
“Brooke’s tour was one of the first groups to build houses, the conditions were hot and horrible, and the kids just had a ball,” he said.
“I was speaking with one of (Brooke’s) friends just the other day and she said, ‘I can’t believe we went to Cambodia and had the best time together and now she’s just gone’.
“If you look at her short life of 23 years, that’s a significant milestone that she took, it’s a great part of her legacy.”
Sergeant Hughes said right up until her passing Brooke was working within the community and was well known.
“She became a young woman in her own right,” he said.
He recalled a memory of Brooke on their Cambodia trip that encapsulated the type of young woman she was.
“We took a photo of Brooke at a temple, and there are always little kids selling you stuff,” he said
“When we got there we told the kids ‘listen if those kids grab you, you’ll have 10 of them on you and they won’t let go so be careful’.
“And of course Brookie couldn’t help herself.
“And there’s this lovely photo of her with this little girl who was selling $1 trinkets to pay for food, and of course there’s Brooke standing with them, with the most beautiful smile on the two of them.”
Sergeant Hutchins referred to the crash as a “horrible tragedy”.
“The community has lost a nice soul,” he said.