‘She’s in the sky’: K’gari tragedy teen farewelled

Mourners from around the world said goodbye to a teenager who died alone on an Australian beach, surrounded by a flock of dingoes.

Close friends and family gathered at Campbell River Baptist Church in the Canadian province of British Columbia to remember Piper James, the energetic 19-year-old backpacker whose life was cut short on the Queensland island of K’gari on January 19.

His Australian friends enthusiastically attended the ceremony by watching online on Sunday morning to bid farewell to the brave young man who ran towards danger, loved deeply and was filled with joy.

Piper James and her best friend Taylor Stricker were on the trip of a lifetime Down Under when World Heritage-listed K’gari, formerly known as Fraser Island, captured their hearts.

The pair had started work at a boarding house on the island before Miss James went for a dawn walk on the beach from which she never returned.

His body was found surrounded by a flock of dingoes near the shipwreck of the SS Maheno, a popular tourist destination on the island.

The autopsy revealed evidence of “antemortem” bites from dingoes, but the most likely cause of death was stated to be asphyxiation.

The matter is still being investigated by the coroner.

Almost six weeks after losing their daughter, grieving parents Todd and Angela James have paid tribute to their brave “doodlebug”.

“You were only 19 years old, but you lived with more courage and fire than most people experience in their entire lives,” Angela James told the congregation.

“As a wildfire firefighter, you have raced toward danger, chased the thrill of life on your motocross bike, relied on your hands and heart on rock faces, and leapt fearlessly into the open sky.

“You taught me that courage is not the absence of fear, but choosing life anyway.”

Dad Todd said he fell in love with his daughter the moment she was born.

“I hold you in my arms, I take you for walks, you are the love of our lives,” Mr. James said.

“I used to tell you that nothing in life comes easy. Everything worth having was worth working hard for, and I saw that in you.”

The boss of the K’gari hostel, where Piper spent his last days, traveled to Campbell River on behalf of his Australian connections.

“If there was a perfect match, it would be these two girls; there were people who worked for us before who were afraid to get out of the car,” Arty Cipak said. he said.

“They had heard all the stories, spiders and snakes and everything. These two girls were so much fun.

“Although Piper was only with us for a short time, she shone brightly across the universe amidst a sea of ​​dying stars.”

K’gari’s traditional owners, the Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation, held a smoking ceremony on the beach where Ms James’ body was found in early February, and Mr Cipak said the teenager would forever be part of the island.

The mourners were told the legend of Princess K’gari, the sky god who fell in love with the island and could not bear to be separated, and requested that it be turned into an island.

“Piper also fell in love with the island of K’gari and is now with Princess K’gari, even though she is not physically with us,” Mr. Cipak said.

“He is in the sky, he is in the sand, he is in the lakes, he is in the sea. I will see him every sunrise and every sunset.”