Sweet and sad tale of Ricky’s daughter
THE murder of Ricky Balcombe shocked Geelong and imprinted itself on our city.
This week some of the wounds that crime left on our city were healed with the guilty verdict in the trial of Karl Hague 23 years after the crime.
As we have noted before, this will provide some comfort and closure for the Balcombe family.
But it also shows that good citizens prevail, that lawless violent sociopaths will be brought to justice even if it looks like they’ve gotten away with it — and even if it takes decades.
Today we reveal the story of Ricky Balcombe’s little-known daughter who was named in her dad’s honour: Rickii-Lee.
Her existence was never widely known until a small passing mention in the trial.
But today we can marvel at her story and another unusual and positive turn of events.
The origins of Rickii-Lee’s life are sad. She never got to meet her father.
He never met her. And when she turned 17 she grew older than he ever got to be.
But despite all this she now has a stable and successful life as a young adult.
Her mum Donna was living rough when she discovered she was pregnant and then learnt the baby’s father had been killed.
But Donna and her family got her life on track and raised RickiiLee to be a happy and rounded person.
Mum Donna told the Geelong Advertiser: “She is driven to make sure she makes a life for herself.
“She has grown into a wonderful young woman, very strong and driven ... I am very proud,”
Like the jury’s verdict, RickiiLee’s success is a surprise redemption story out of one of Geelong’s darkest chapters.
It’s one that should give us all a lot of heart about the perseverance and courage that can often be found in quiet family lives and even in the wake of a tragedy.