Perth schoolboy Cassius Turvey has been laid to rest, with hundreds of mourners gathering to farewell the “beautiful” 15-year-old.
Mourners, many of whom wore black T-shirts bearing his face with “kids matter” printed on the back, gathered in a large, tightly packed hall, to farewell Cassius, who was attacked and killed while walking home from school in Perth last month.
The service, at Dreambuilders church in the suburb of Midland, began with clapsticks and a Noongar lullaby, before the family gathered around the casket, painted his favourite colour blue, to remember “the beautiful life of Cassius Turvey”.
There was an outpouring of grief as family and friends of the Noongar-Yamatji boy shared memories of an enthusiastic, polite and studious year 9 student.
His funeral was livestreamed to the public as the family urged his “life and memory” to never be forgotten.
A 21-year-old man has been charged with murder after the alleged attack, which occurred as Cassius and his friends walked home in Middle Swan, a suburb of Perth, on the afternoon of 13 October. The man is the only person to have been charged over the boy’s death.
In the wake of his death, thousands of people attended vigils across the country and overseas, coming together in his honour and calling for justice.
On Friday, his friends and family gathered to mourn the “kind” boy who loved basketball. Behind the casket was a large photo of his smiling face, in which he is seen proudly holding a metal sign he had made in school metalworking class.
His niece, Saraia Radcliffe, shared her memories of the teen. The two were “twins born on the same day”, she told the service, and they were excited to soon be old enough to get their driver’s licences.
“He was a force to be reckoned with,” she said. “Cassius always found a way to make people laugh, and [his] smile was infectious,” she said.
“I feel your strong spirit. Now I’ll cherish every memory. You’ll be forever 15, and I’ll be forever broken. You are everything to me. You’re a part of me.”
He was remembered as someone who was a “born leader”, who inspired his friends and family, who loved playing video games, pool, going camping and learning about his culture.
His mother, Mechelle Turvey, has been outspoken since her son’s death, calling for action, calm and peace, and urging the nation to come together in his memory. Just months before Cassius’s death, the family had lost his father to cancer.
The service was watched by thousands from across the country and the world, and mourners left messages of condolences and support.
Family, friends and community leaders who worked with Cassius said he had a passion for art, music and radio. They remembered him as happy, joyful and cheeky.
Adam Desmond, from the Binar foundation, spoke at the service of his shock and grief.
“The way that this sort of ripped a hole in the heart of our whole community, our whole nation and around the world, there’s so many questions, so many emotions, it’s just pure disbelief that this beautiful young man was in the way that he was through no fault of his own,” Desmond said.
His funeral closed with a special song written and performed by his friends and family, full of messages of love, justice and hope and an excerpt from Dr Martin Luther King’s famous “I have a dream” speech.
Reverend Mark Kickett led prayers at the service and said the country was at a “crossroads” for First Nations’ people remembering the nation’s colonised history.
“But the question for us as a nation and as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is that the time right now is justice for Cassius,” he said.
