The story in Mark Hart’s own words...
ON January 11, 1964, a little four-year-old girl, being a good girl, did what she was asked to do by her mother, and that was to walk behind her and not run away as they visited the grave of her older brother, who passed away aged seven.
Before they had gone too far, a tombstone fell off its mount, falling on the little girl and killing her outright. What killed that little girl 50 years ago is still there and it could happen again tomorrow, next week, in a few years time, or never.
The tombstone was not the main cause that killed the girl — the problem goes deeper than that.
If there had been another grave plot behind the grave when the headstone fell, then the little girl would have been 2m away when it fell, meaning she could have been alive today.
There are many graves dotted around the cemetery with either a headstone right beside walkways or headstones placed at the bottom of the graves, meaning anyone walking past those headstones could be hurt or even worse if one fell.
Why bring this up now after so long? Her parents are now both deceased and giving her loving cuddles now, with no bad memories or feeling anymore about that day.
Even when they were alive, for a very long time they still had very bad memories.
Another reason is that this year is the 50th anniversary of the little girl’s passing and we celebrate milestones, even the bad ones.
Another reason is to bring up the point that a little girl was killed at the Toowoomba cemetery, and that something might be done to try and fix the problem so others don’t have to go through the same nightmare as the family and friends of this little girl.
If something is done, then her death would not have been in vain and would have meaning to others.
I am the last survivor that was there that afternoon the little girl was struck down by the tombstone.
The only one who remembers how her mother struggled to lift the headstone off her daughter while dragging her out and racing her to the hospital.
The hardest part for me was to sit with a lady while my mother sat on a very long bench all by herself, covered in blood from her head to her feet, looking totally lost, not knowing what was going on behind the closed doors.
She was hoping against hope that by some miracle there would be some good news, like all parents when they have rushed their children to hospital.
She sat there with no one to give her any help or assistance until it was all over.
To top it all off, her mother was taken in as well with very high blood pressure.
She looked so very alone I wanted to go and give her a cuddle, but I didn’t and regret it today.
The little girl was Leah Hart and she was my little sister.
Even though I knew her for only four years I still miss her dearly, even today.
She may not be very special to anyone to remember her passing, like so many children who have died from accidents or diseases, but Leah was special to the people who loved and knew her.
So on the 11th day of January 2014, I will remember you Leah, and some day I will get to play dolls with you again like we did that morning.