The grieving mother of an Indigenous Perth teenager — who died after allegedly being bashed while walking home from school — has accepted a volunteer advisory role with Western Australia's police to help victims of crime.
WARNING: This story features the names and images of deceased Aboriginal people, which have been used with the permission of their families.
Cassius Turvey's death in October sent shockwaves through the nation and sparked fears within the Indigenous community about racially-motivated violence.
In the aftermath, his mother Mechelle Turvey addressed rallies and vigils calling for calm and focusing attention on child safety in the community.
Speaking on Thursday near a tree which had become a makeshift memorial to her son, Mrs Turvey said the experience of losing Cassius would help provide a more trauma-informed approach to helping affected families.
"There's violence all across the country … I feel it more now because I've gone through that life experience of losing Cassius," she said.
"[Police can] take on some of my life experiences and just maybe alert them to how families are actually feeling."
Mrs Turvey said the details of her role with WA Police were yet to be finalised, after being offered the position just days ago.
"I'm not just here for the Aboriginal community. I'm here for the community as a whole," she said.
"If I can help people in a way to navigate how they should be working with the police, how to [do] better policing in WA, well I'm down for that."
'They're left with that trauma'
Cassius was walking along Patterson Drive in the eastern Perth suburb of Middle Swan when police allege 21-year-old Jack Steven James Brearley jumped out of a car and chased him and his friends, while wielding a metal pole.
The Yamitji Noongar 15-year-old was allegedly struck in the head with the pole and hospitalised.
He was discharged but died 10 days after the incident after suffering seizures.
Mr Brearley has been charged with murder and is due to appear in court later this month.
He has not yet entered a plea to the charge.
Mrs Turvey said four of Cassius's friends, who were with him on the day of the incident, were left "to their own devices" following the alleged attack.
"The police and the ambulance had left and they had to find their own way home," she said.
"So, some of my suggestions would be to contact family or arrange for, if not the police, another group to be in their presence.
"They're left with that trauma on the day. What do they do with it?"
Mrs Turvey said she would likely be working with new officers and supervisors within the police force in the unpaid role, to help inform how they should manage relationships with victims of crime and their families.
"I have stressed this to [Commissioner Col Blanch] – it's not just about me. I would like to involve my family, and other people as well," she said.
Death that shocked a nation
Cassius's death sparked an outpouring of grief and support from the local community in the north-east of Perth.
Thousands attended rallies across the nation on November 2 in a national day of action to honour Cassius.
In a tribute at Cassius's funeral, Mrs Turvey described her son as a "smiling gentle giant".
At the time, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Cassius's life was "over all too soon".
"I think this is just such a human tragedy," he said on The Project.
"And for Cassius's mum, for people who knew this young man, you look at his smile and you think that is a life that should have been just beginning and it was over all too soon."
Community 'getting back to better spaces'
A flood of support came from Cassius's family, friends, and wider community after his death.
Mrs Turvey was not only grieving the loss of her son, but also her husband, who died just two months before.
"Christmas was hard. It was very hard," Mrs Turvey said while holding back tears.
"Two spare chairs at the table this year. For my husband, and my boy … it was hard for all of us."
However, Mrs Turvey said support from close friends, family, and even "strangers putting things on the [memorial] tree", had helped her manage.
"I think we're getting back to better spaces at the moment," she said.
"There's not much we can do … but reach out to people, accept their support and love, and having company has been a real big key for me.
"The young boys on the day that were with Cassius [are] slowly engaging a bit more, out of their shell of sadness."
