A song dedicated to the memory of Annabel Catt, from a close friend Stephanie Fisher

The tragic death last February of dance teacher, Annabel Catt, is a wake-up call to the entire community about the dangers facing young Australians.

What makes this story so poignant is that Annabel did not fit the mould of an “at risk” young person. A talented dancer and teacher, Annabel was a popular girl, brought up in a close loving family. Her enthusiasm for life was infectious, and she made an instant impact on all those who met her.

Yet as this letter from her parents, Peter and Alison, explains – all young people are “at risk” from drugs.

An important message from Peter and Alison Catt

In Loving Memory of our Daughter Annabel

The morning of February 18th will stay with us forever. We received a phone call from Annabel’s friends telling us she had taken ecstasy and was in hospital. We thought that she would be a sick little girl and learn a valuable lesson from the experience. By the time we got to the hospital our precious daughter had died.

Annabel had been at an outdoor music festival. Music and dance had been her life, ever since she was just four years old. In the months before she died, Annabel had started work as a casual dance teacher. She was so excited to be doing something she loved.

That all changed when Annabel and her friends bought capsules from someone they trusted. Unknown to all, some of those capsules contained fatal dosages of PMA, an illegal, highly toxic amphetamine.

We had no idea Annabel had ever taken ecstasy. We’ve since been told Annabel had tried it only twice before, each time at similar all day music festivals, because they helped her to keep dancing. Her friends said it was the only thing she kept from us as she didn’t want us to worry.

Besides, Annabel never conceived that they could be so harmful, or that she could die.

Just a couple of capsules – that was all it took.

Her death has caused untold grief to us, our family and friends. We all miss her terribly. We never thought that this could happen to us, a close loving family. We now understand what it means to be broken hearted.

But when it comes to drugs, it only takes one mistake.

I’m writing this to you because I don’t want other parents to go through the agony of losing a child this way. It can happen so easily, so quickly. We can’t be complacent about the dangers facing young Australians. Lives are at risk.

That’s why my family and I have become ambassadors for Life Education and the Keep Aussie Kids Safe program. After the loss of our daughter, we wanted to do something positive – to make a difference in some way so that other families can be spared what we’ve been through.

Annabel Catt Then, when we heard about Keep Aussie Kids Safe, we felt a need to help. I’d already seen the work of Life Education numerous times during my time as a Primary School principal. In particular, I’ve seen the way that kids respond to their teaching, and how it helps them to adopt healthy choices. It is a charity that Alison and I have great respect for.

Supporters of the Keep Aussie Kids Safe program are helping 50 children every year to receive drug and health education. However, educating children about the dangers of drugs is only part of the solution.

One of the reasons we’re supporting Keep Aussie Kids Safe is because it helps to educate adults too. The drug threat facing our young people is not a static one. It is continually changing as new drugs become available. The situation demands that we all stay vigilant, communicate openly with our kids, and keep informed.

The more we know, the more we can play a part in helping to keep our own children, and grandchildren, safe. Alison and I believe its information that no adult who cares about children should be without.

Peter Catt

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