The family of a teenager killed just two weeks after his high school formal has spoken for the first time, revealing how a quirky photo from that night helped a community deal with its grief.
On September 30 last year 18-year-old senior Brody Smith was travelling south with a mate for a long-weekend camping trip at Tin Can Bay.
He tragically never arrived, killed in a horror early morning crash at Maryborough Cooloola Rd about 30km from the township.
He was a passenger in a 4WD that collided with a timber truck.
Eight months on, Brody’s mother Lesley has spoken for the first time saying that day “shattered our world”.
Yet the memory of her son has become a rallying point to help the community which loved him heal.
Fraser Coast Anglican College student Brody Smith was killed in a car crash at the Tuan Forest on the morning of September 30, 2022.
Lesley and husband Jason are taking on the Dunga Derby challenge, from August 3 to August 6, in Brody’s honour.
The group’s name, Team Croc McQueen, was born of the white crocs emblazoned with a jibbit of popular Cars character Lightning McQueen.
Brody wore them to his school formal only two weeks before his death.
“They became the talk of the night, and we couldn’t have been prouder as we watched him confidently strut his stuff,” Lesley said.
It was Lesley and Jason’s dream to create a Lightning McQueen car with a massive Croc on its roof to honour and remember Brody.
Brody Smith, ahead of his high school formal in 2022, wearing the white crocs and white sunglasses which have become part of the healing process across Hervey Bay following his tragic death in September 2022.
Lesley said the response had been incredible and fundraising already surpassed $20,000 in just over three months
“It is beyond anything we could have ever imagined. It has played a monumental role in helping us adjust to life without our beloved son,” she said.
The Derby is but one of many tributes to emerge in the wake of the tragedy.
Fraser Coast Anglican College principal Joe Wright said Brody’s classmates started their own tributes in the wake of the crash.
A plaque had been erected at the school where Brody used to park his car.
“Brody was always very creative … he’d just get up and do it,” Mr Wright said.
The teen’s signature footwear became a rallying point too.
“I think we’ve sold out all the Crocs in Hervey Bay,” Mr Wright said.
“When I see my kids wearing Crocs … I think of him.”
An upcoming Brody Smith Charity Netball Carnival in July is another way Brody’s legacy is living on.
Brody played for the Hervey Bay Netball Association, and secretary Joanne Cooke said his death hit everyone hard.
“He was a representative player for the club,” Mrs Cooke said.
The Brody Smith Charity Netball Carnival is one of the ways the teenager’s memory lives on in the Fraser Coast.
“Members and his teammates wore another signature fashion accessory of his, white sunglasses, to his funeral.
“I could not imagine the impact that would have … as parents and as a family,” she said.
“Here’s a kid who was involved in so much with the community.”
The charity competition has been met with a wave of support which Mrs Cooke said was a clear indication how many were affected by the tragedy.
People who had put their hand up to help included the parents of Brody’s friends and young sports players who he had coached.
“Everybody who has come on board has been touched by (Brody) in some way,” she said.
Mr Wright said the past eight months had been “challenging”.
Fraser Coast Anglican College principal, Joe Wright
“It’s far from easy, and the pain of losing Brody is indescribable.”
The question of whether a memorial would be erected for Brody at the school was still being explored.
Mr Wright said there had been many suggestions but the plan was to give it some time before making a final choice.
Mum Lesley said the family did not “have any specific legacy programs in place to honour Brody”.
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“His memory and the impact he had on our lives and the lives of others continue to inspire us every day,” she said.
“It’s a bittersweet journey, but we’re determined to find strength in the face of adversity and continue to support and uplift others, just as the community has done for us.”