Statement by Director of Education, Clare Browne

As a father myself and as the Director of Education, my heart lies in ruins, shattered, utterly crushed, by the cruel abduction and senseless murder of Five Islands Primary School student, Chantel Crump, a delicate bloom plucked too soon from this world.

An innocent flower, untouched prior by the darkness of life, her beauty, her purity, her precious light stolen in an unspeakable act of savagery.

Her last reported public image lingers in my mind like a ghost – a fleeting smile, a gentle wave, a moment of innocence captured before she was whisked away by evil.

I cannot help but imagine the terror, the confusion, the helplessness she must have felt. She was only nine years old, a child who should have been wrapped in warmth and safety, not taken away by the hands of a monster.

My heart is shattered, completely crushed, as I think of her parents, whose arms will forever ache to hold her again. Her siblings, robbed of a sister’s laughter.

Her relatives, her friends, her teachers – every life she touched now drowning in sorrow. A community left grieving, a nation left questioning: How? Why?

No words can truly convey the depths of my grief. No expression can encapsulate the anguish of knowing that such innocence was met with such cruelty. And so, today, I do the only thing I can – I pray.

I pray that Chantel Crump may rest in eternal peace, cradled in the arms of angels where no harm can ever touch her again.

I pray that her loved ones will find comfort, strength, and eventual healing in the embrace of God and the support of those who mourn with them.

I pray for a wounded community, for a grieving country, for a world that must reckon with the depths of its own darkness.

I pray that the scales of justice will find their balance and truth shall shine like the dawn.

And today, I plead.

To parents- hold your children a little closer. Whisper to them words of love. Teach them, guide them, remind them that their safety is priceless.

To children – trust your instincts. Keep a safe distance from strangers, no matter how kind they may seem. If ever you feel afraid, scream, run, seek help, your voice is your shield.

To the community – let this be the last time we mourn a child stolen from our midst. Let us be vigilant, united, unwavering in our mission to protect the innocent. Let no evil go unnoticed, no threat unchallenged.

For it takes not one, not a few, but all of us to be the keepers of our children.

And for Chantel, we must.