Australian Blogger's Son Dies- Sparkling Adventures

[princessjo1988]

I am not sure if any of you read the blog "Sparkling Adventures" (http://www.facebook.com/SparklingAdventures - the blog itself has been closed), but sadly her son has died in somewhat questionable circumstances. (http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more-n ... 6407134404).

 

I must admit, I was rather shocked to hear about it - I had been following her blog for about 6 months due to her fundamentalist christian background - she had written some thought provoking posts about how she left the church etc - and I was also interested in reading about the 'free-range' manner she was choosing to raise her kids, in comparison to her own upbringing (and mine).

 

Strangely, after reading her last few posts (before this happened), I had deep urge to contact her for some unknown reason - something wasn't sitting right. I never acted on it, sadly!

 

So tragic, and I hope that the truth, whatever it may be, comes to light.

 

---------------

 

If I have put this in the wrong place, sorry Mods - feel free to move it!

[luckystone]

Sounds like they left the church but were still a bit nutty.

That's so, so sad. I wonder what was going on. Often fathers kill children to get revenge on the mothers but he only took the youngest one. Maybe it was one too many. I shouldn't speculate though, other than the charge we don't know for sure if it's intentional.

[abba12]

Hi from your resident Aussie fundie lurker!

Actually, I write this with sadness and confusion. This family are friends of close friends, and this happened in my town. As you all know, the homeschooling community is small, so while I didn't know the family personally, I have had some contact with the mother through mutual communities. It's a very sad situation, and right now it makes very little sense, to anyone. The circumstances were strange for sure, but there is also no reason for him to have done it either. Especially only one child, and the youngest.

While they homeschool and homebirth and live a very 'spirited' life including some belief in God, they were not christian fundamentalists by any means. Quite the opposite, they are involved with the Rainbow Family movement. Hippies basically, very hippie :) But in a nice way it seems. They were raised in the church, I didn't follow the blog so others here may know more than me about their history.

All anyone knows right now is what the news is saying, and right now I can't seem to turn on the TV without hearing about it. The father has been refused bail, so the court has reason to believe he may be a danger to the other children I guess. The story as we know it is that he and the baby 'fell' into the river, some confusion as to whether the baby was in it's stroller or not when they entered the water. Now, frankly, that alone is suspicious because there's no way they accidentally tripped and fell into that section of river. It's not like the path runs right along the edge or anything. Also wondering why he was walking a baby along the side of the road that time of night in that area of town (not a terribly safe area). When rumours began people assumed he was drunk, though nothing has been said officially. He resurfaced, couldn't find the baby's body, so walked home to tell his wife the baby drowned... yeah, weird. No frantic calls for help or to 000 (Australian Emergency Services) or hailing down cars or anything. That alone seems to be why he is being so strongly suspected, or at least the only reason anyone is saying right now. Once he made it home the mother raised the alarm, calling police and going to the river to try find her baby etc. It's been suggested that one reason behind the father not raising the alarm may be a mistrust of the police etc, but tbh I don't buy it. Still, he seemed a very involved and loving father. It just dosen't make sense.

The mother and other children (4 girls) need lots of love and support right now. They're yet to make any public comments except for one tweet a few hours afterwards. If you believe in prayer please pray for peace for the females of the family, and wisdom to the courts dealing with the father, that they can find the truth in this matter quickly, so as to not draw out the pain longer than nececary, whether he be guilty or innocent. He has been in jail since that evening and his case will be heard in 3 weeks time.

Provided this discussion does not turn nasty, I will come back and update with any non-personal infomation that is revealed for those who are interested, if people would like that. I'm sure, like it or not, I will be hearing about every new development from one source or another for weeks to come. It's shaken up a lot of people around here, myself included. This is the first time all day I've had an opportunity to work through everything running about my head.

[deelaem]

Hi from your resident Aussie fundie lurker!

Actually, I write this with sadness and confusion. This family are friends of close friends, and this happened in my town. As you all know, the homeschooling community is small, so while I didn't know the family personally, I have had some contact with the mother through mutual communities. It's a very sad situation, and right now it makes very little sense, to anyone. The circumstances were strange for sure, but there is also no reason for him to have done it either. Especially only one child, and the youngest.

While they homeschool and homebirth and live a very 'spirited' life including some belief in God, they were not christian fundamentalists by any means. Quite the opposite, they are involved with the Rainbow Family movement. Hippies basically, very hippie :) But in a nice way it seems. They were raised in the church, I didn't follow the blog so others here may know more than me about their history.

All anyone knows right now is what the news is saying, and right now I can't seem to turn on the TV without hearing about it. The father has been refused bail, so the court has reason to believe he may be a danger to the other children I guess. The story as we know it is that he and the baby 'fell' into the river, some confusion as to whether the baby was in it's stroller or not when they entered the water. Now, frankly, that alone is suspicious because there's no way they accidentally tripped and fell into that section of river. It's not like the path runs right along the edge or anything. Also wondering why he was walking a baby along the side of the road that time of night in that area of town (not a terribly safe area). When rumours began people assumed he was drunk, though nothing has been said officially. He resurfaced, couldn't find the baby's body, so walked home to tell his wife the baby drowned... yeah, weird. No frantic calls for help or to 000 (Australian Emergency Services) or hailing down cars or anything. That alone seems to be why he is being so strongly suspected, or at least the only reason anyone is saying right now. Once he made it home the mother raised the alarm, calling police and going to the river to try find her baby etc. It's been suggested that one reason behind the father not raising the alarm may be a mistrust of the police etc, but tbh I don't buy it. Still, he seemed a very involved and loving father. It just dosen't make sense.

The mother and other children (4 girls) need lots of love and support right now. They're yet to make any public comments except for one tweet a few hours afterwards. If you believe in prayer please pray for peace for the females of the family, and wisdom to the courts dealing with the father, that they can find the truth in this matter quickly, so as to not draw out the pain longer than nececary, whether he be guilty or innocent. He has been in jail since that evening and his case will be heard in 3 weeks time.

Provided this discussion does not turn nasty, I will come back and update with any non-personal infomation that is revealed for those who are interested, if people would like that. I'm sure, like it or not, I will be hearing about every new development from one source or another for weeks to come. It's shaken up a lot of people around here, myself included. This is the first time all day I've had an opportunity to work through everything running about my head.

How magnanimous of you! I will do my very best to suppress any opinions I might have that might not be agreeable so that you will do us the honor of filling us in on your insider info.

/sarcasm

[happy atheist]

In the video clip all the family faces are blurred out, the dad's voice is altered, and they don't say his name. Is that standard in Australian media? I certainly understand blurring the kids' faces, but in this case it was the parents too. Everyone but the baby.

[fundifugee]

I knew a fella who did something like this (but not while holding a baby) while on an LSD trip. He believed he could fly and jumped off a bridge. He broke a lot of bones but survived. "Rainbow family" folks I've known are pretty enthusiastic about imbibing hallucinogens.

[tropaka]

maybe they're not identifying anymore because it has moved from accident to murder investigation.

[Witsec7]

This family are friends of close friends, and this happened in my town. As you all know, the homeschooling community is small, so while I didn't know the family personally, I have had some contact with the mother through mutual communities.

In reading the FB blog these folks don't seem to be settled into any community for any period of time. They specifically discuss that their returns to Australia from NZ were prompted immigration requirements, and their home is rented out.

They sound eclectic like Mandy but without the buckets of grain. This loss of a child is painful under any circumstances.

[tropaka]

This family are friends of close friends, and this happened in my town. As you all know, the homeschooling community is small, so while I didn't know the family personally, I have had some contact with the mother through mutual communities.

To give the benefit of the doubt, mutual communities could mean on line homeschoolers or homeschool groups, not necessarily a physical location, so to speak. However to ask FJ members to suspend judgement and opinion is, well, out of line. Most - no, all - members would be upset by this story.

[dairyfreelife]

I'm not sure how this bridge is shaped, but I know where I live and anywhere I've been, it's not physically possible to "accidently" fall into the water below. Gates, solid, barred high enough that falling over and into it would not happen unless you were climbing over it or something. Maybe Australia's are different? :?

[Witsec7]

I'm not sure how this bridge is shaped, but I know where I live and anywhere I've been, it's not physically possible to "accidently" fall into the water below. Gates, solid, barred high enough that falling over and into it would not happen unless you were climbing over it or something. Maybe Australia's are different? :?

I live in a town of 50k that is proud of its 36 bridges. I think I've seen them all and it's impossible to get a stroller through any of their safety barriers. It must be different in Australia.

[abba12]

How magnanimous of you! I will do my very best to suppress any opinions I might have that might not be agreeable so that you will do us the honor of filling us in on your insider info.

/sarcasm

However to ask FJ members to suspend judgement and opinion is, well, out of line. Most - no, all - members would be upset by this story.

Not asking people to supress their opinions, I didn't say no emotions. What I said was that it didn't turn nasty, so people didn't start spouting nonsense that goes beyond openly stated opinion and into spiteful nasty talk. Of course you can have opinions and talk about them, isn't that what this forum is for? All I'm saying is I will not participate in this conversation any further if it becomes full of stupid cattyness based on half facts and people making light of the death of a child. 'I think he murdered the baby because a,b&c' is perfectly reasonable, 'I think he was already unstable 'insert-anti-fundie-ramble' and something pushed him over the edge' is even fairly ok. but 'I know he murdered the baby because they homeschool and all homeschoolers are crazy kid murderers and the mum was probably in on it too because she didn't want a son, only daughters like her other four, they all deserve it roflcopter' is really not, it's stupid nastiness from ignorant and bitter people... I'm going to hear enough of that the next few days, in fact I'm dreading going to playgroup today because of it, it's the local town gossip, and people know I was homeschooled.

I don't think that's unreasonable to ask that the conversation remain a conversation, and emotion-fueled opinions be stated in a mature manner, and not become a snark-fest making fun of a family in pain and belittling the tragedy of a lost child. Sure you can disagree with their life, heck, I disagree with their life! But you can disagree without nastiness and spite. That's all I was asking.

In the video clip all the family faces are blurred out, the dad's voice is altered, and they don't say his name. Is that standard in Australian media? I certainly understand blurring the kids' faces, but in this case it was the parents too. Everyone but the baby.

Yep, that's why I haven't mentioned names, though they can be found easily enough if you want to know them and there was a news article earlier on that identified the fathers name, through which most anyone can find the family. In Australia they can't identify the children in a story like this. If they identify the parents, then they will identify the children automatically. Knowing the parents names will give you the kids last names, and if you show the parents faces, people will recognise them as 'such-and-such's mother'. I think they're also giving some privacy to the mother because, while I've seen dad and baby's names mentioned occasionally, I haven't seen her first name given.

In reading the FB blog these folks don't seem to be settled into any community for any period of time. They specifically discuss that their returns to Australia from NZ were prompted immigration requirements, and their home is rented out.

To give the benefit of the doubt, mutual communities could mean on line homeschoolers or homeschool groups, not necessarily a physical location, so to speak.

Gotta love how I'm automatically treated with suspicion.

Even nomadic families almost always have a home base. The family, when not traveling in their bus, had a 'home base' in a shed at the back of the property they rent out (I believe the property is rented to family). That 'home base' is located in my town and is where this event happened. They also were not always as nomadic as they are now, so made friends in this general area. They had only just returned from NZ, a lot of people didn't realise they were back in aus yet.

As for the mutual communities, yes, I was referring to online. I don't know if you know much about Australia, but we're pretty damn widespread. Any likeminded-based community is online because very few areas can get the concerntration of people needed for large real life groups (we have real life homeschool support groups but, by american standards, they're usually very small). We were on the same homeschooling forum, and probably other forums since we both seem to have a large online presence in aussie homeschooling, homebirthing, etc circles. Like I said we have a mutual IRL friend in this area, it's one of those 'we moved in the same circles, but never connected personally' situations.

I'm not sure how this bridge is shaped, but I know where I live and anywhere I've been, it's not physically possible to "accidently" fall into the water below. Gates, solid, barred high enough that falling over and into it would not happen unless you were climbing over it or something. Maybe Australia's are different

And other questions about how someone 'falls' off a bridge.

He couldn't 'fall' off the bridge itself, the bridge did have railing and fence of some sort. I believe they're claiming the entry point was in the section right before the bridge started, where the path/road is a little closer to the decline down to the river (it was a steep fall) but the railing hadn't quite started yet. If it's the bridge I think it is (there's lots of bridges around here) it's like a metre or two, 4 or 5 foot gap. If I come accross a photo or can find out the exact spot and take a photo I'll post it here. But that is probably some of the reason he has been arrested, it's a stretch to say anyone could accidentally fall off a bridge.

[Witsec7]

Even nomadic families almost always have a home base.

I'm an old hippy. Here in the US our wandering hippies in buses are just that, unanchored. Right now the Rainbows are gathering, when they're done they'll wandered down to Eugene for Faire and then off like the wind. When there was a GD tour then folks did tour. I vended on tour for almost 20 years, tourheads and wandering Rainbows were just that. They didn't have day jobs like me, or homes and land. I welcomed many a wayfarer onto my dirt in those two decades, none of them had homes and businesses to return to. They had their shells, and identified with the mighty Terrapin. Things are probably different down in Aussieland, please learn to qualify your statements. TYIA All of us have life experiences, that differ, when one chooses to speak for others they can get called on it.

[lilith]

Mymsister is part of the Australian drifting rainbow homeschooling/ unschooling community, and she and her circle often go for long periods without any real "base" except maybe a shed at a friend or relatives to store stuff.

I hope this isn't someone she knows, but as mentioned above, it's a pretty small community really.

[Witsec7]

Mymsister is part of the Australian drifting rainbow homeschooling/ unschooling community, and she and her circle often go for long periods without any real "base" except maybe a shed at a friend or relatives to store stuff.

I hope this isn't someone she knows, but as mentioned above, it's a pretty small community really.

I was reading their FB/blog they've had a few falling out's after camping on peoples dirt. I also read that they were unchurching. Really so much of their blog sounds like Brandy and their husband if they were on the road.

How many children did they have in all?

[hoipolloi]

Even nomadic families almost always have a home base.

I'm an old hippy. Here in the US our wandering hippies in buses are just that, unanchored. Right now the Rainbows are gathering, when they're done they'll wandered down to Eugene for Faire and then off like the wind. When there was a GD tour then folks did tour. I vended on tour for almost 20 years, tourheads and wandering Rainbows were just that. They didn't have day jobs like me, or homes and land. I welcomed many a wayfarer onto my dirt in those two decades, none of them had homes and businesses to return to. They had their shells, and identified with the mighty Terrapin. Things are probably different down in Aussieland, please learn to qualify your statements. TYIA All of us have life experiences, that differ, when one chooses to speak for others they can get called on it.

Looks like the 2012 gathering in the US is in Bristol, TN (welcomehere.org/index.php?Rainbow_Family_Gatherings:Annual%26nbsp%3BRainbow_Gatherings) - a hop, skip & a long car ride from Pearl headquarters in Pleasantville, TN.

[Witsec7]

Looks like the 2012 gathering in the US is in Bristol, TN (welcomehere.org/index.php?Rainbow_Family_Gatherings:Annual%26nbsp%3BRainbow_Gatherings) - a hop, skip & a long car ride from Pearl headquarters in Pleasantville, TN.

We just had a regional locally. It was nothing, most Rainbows on the left coast were on the road already. Funny thing, a dear friend from HS lives near Bristol. Although he's pretty right, (non drinker and born again, he makes sure I have weed and 'tini's when I visit :D ) called me on Sun for our weekly phone call. He offered to buy me a airline ticket and we would go to Rainbow together. He said he would stay in the sober camp. I gracefully declined. My old ass needs 18" of memory foam and a flush toilet :lol: I'll day trip to Faire on friday, and then go up to Hornings and stay in a teepee and dance for a few daze come home to ripe tomatoes. All who wander are not lost, but I was able to enjoy my wandering daze when I was young. :D It was a very different world then.

[gustava]

We just had a regional locally. It was nothing, most Rainbows on the left coast were on the road already. Funny thing, a dear friend from HS lives near Bristol. Although he's pretty right, (non drinker and born again, he makes sure I have weed and 'tini's when I visit :D ) called me on Sun for our weekly phone call. He offered to buy me a airline ticket and we would go to Rainbow together. He said he would stay in the sober camp. I gracefully declined. My old ass needs 18" of memory foam and a flush toilet :lol: I'll day trip to Faire on friday, and then go up to Hornings and stay in a teepee and dance for a few daze come home to ripe tomatoes. All who wander are not lost, but I was able to enjoy my wandering daze when I was young. :D It was a very different world then.

I'm nearby, experienceddd, and can offer a real mattress.

[princessjo1988]

Abba - I am originally from the area as well (was homeschooled & went to Grace Bible Church and various home churches in the Sunshine Coast/Brisbane area in the 90's)- and it was one of the things that sparked my interest in her blog to begin with. I follow many 'hippy/alternative' type blogs - as I am currently living in conservative central Qld, it is nice to read about a slightly different way of parenting/living to the norm here.

I was very, very shocked to hear about it - I still can't comprehend it. Abba, I for one, would appreciate hearing any information you come across - even via PM, perhaps. I too, don't understand how he 'fell' off that particular bridge - from what I have seen of it in the news, it seems to be relatively secure with fence/railings. As well, it seems that the pram was left on the bridge - at least from photos I have seen.

To be honest - my concern had grown due to their last few entries showing the kids in a 'fire-bath' - a bath tub (with water) suspended by ropes from a forklift over open flames - and I was very concerned by their casualness about it. Growing up - I had known a family whose daughter had very badly burned hands from falling into an open fire (another homeschooling family, actually) - so it has made me very wary of little kids and an open fire.

[Witsec7]

...

I'm nearby, experienceddd, and can offer a real mattress.

( In my best Betty Davis voice.)

One nevah daytrips to Rainbow. One parks, and hauls their shit in at least 2 miles...leave no footsteps.

[Morton Fan]

Abba12 - Jenn, I presume? I used to read your blog. You don't know me at all. I found your blog through Kevin Bacon-esque circles, but I believe you made it private or quit it several years ago. I always wondered what became of you and your family. Anyway, it was very random and surprising to see your username (if it's you ... I could be wrong, just wondering), and now I recognize your style of writing. This small, small world....!

[VintageJen1984]

To offer up more different experiences because it is by that which we learn...I have family members who are Rainbow-ers and they don't wander, they live in one place.

I myself (American, and mainline searching Christian, if it matters to the unrelated wanderer topic for whatever reason) would love to travel the world for long periods of time, both now and when I have a family, but still have a home base. By plane, train, RV, and houseboat.

Back on topic, I'll just say this is tragic, and reserve more open opinions for when more details are released.

[abba12]

You'll have to forgive my lack of quotes, I'm in a bit of a hurry this evening.

I apologise for assuming most nomadic families have a home base. In my experience, they often return to wherever they started because of family connections and stored items, sometimes a block of land. I only know a half dozen nomadic families personally, including one particular family that my husband and I were very close to growing up (independently of each other lol, it's a very small world), and they have all had somewhere they call 'home', even if it's just for a couple of month a year. For one family it's a block of land in Tassie, for another it's their parents property. My parents considered going traveling when I was a teen, our home base would have been grandma and grandads property where we would store items and go for 'rest' or to get a bit of structure temporarily. I guess that's not the case in america, I didn't know and I can't specify everything that could possibly differ between our countries, it was a natural assumption.

They had 5 kids in total, 4 young girls and the baby boy.

Princessjo, nice to meet someone else from the area! I assume by your presence here you no longer subscribe to a lot of those beliefs :) but still, considering how small the homeschooling circle in QLD in the 90s was, I wonder if we ever met. It's funny, when I 'met' my husband online, we discovered we had actually both attended the same group as kids for well over a year, and that he had a huge puppy crush on one of my close friends! There always seems to be crossovers and people who knew people among those homeschooling circles. It's amazing the number of people I've ended up back in contact with because the stayed in contact with other homeschoolers who I know/knew. Anyway, you're right, I've seen it confirmed enough now that it does look like the baby was removed from the pram on the bridge and the pram left on top, which is yet one more reason he simply couldn't have 'fell' in (initial rumours at the flea market sunday morning had indicated the pram went in with them). There have been some concerning things lately... the fire bath freaks me out too, I hate fire lol, but it's not an uncommon thing to do I guess. There has been a video released from about a month ago where apparently the mother left the house after an argument for awhile, and the father was quite upset, but no one quite knows what it means. I'll keep you in mind to PM. Since you follow the blog you will probably know about as much as me until the court appearance happens though, unless she goes silent. Looks like they're trying to keep the media right out of it, but if I hear anything from friends I'll pass it along.

Morton, hi... I did have a blog for awhile which I stopped posting to because, basically, I suck at writing unless I'm writing to someone specific. I also use the username abba12 just about everywhere and, to my knowlege, the only other people to use it are males in america. However, my name is not Jenn... :) So I don't know if you saw someone else I don't know of with my username, or if you saw me and somehow got confused on the name :) If it was my blog I would have been a teenager at the time, or just recently married. I spoke a bit about being homeschooled, a bit about a dificult upbringing, a bit about cooking and a bit about my progression towards my current beliefs. Does that sound like the blog you followed? I'm curious to know about this other abba12, if there is one!

[adidas]

I hope they find out the truth. It sounds very unlikely to me that the father pushed the baby in a pram, then got him out of the pram before accidentally falling. I guess that's why he was charged with murder 9 hours before they found the baby's body. The pram was sitting in the same place as the flowers in the second photo in this article, so I doubt that he could have fallen.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/quee ... 6408277230

More details here:

http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/355814/2 ... h-news.htm

This is the second time the rainbow family has been in the news in Australia in a couple of months. There was a shooting at a rainbow gathering in Tenterfield a few months ago:

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/845 ... frontation

[Guest Anonymous]

Not asking people to supress their opinions, I didn't say no emotions. What I said was that it didn't turn nasty, so people didn't start spouting nonsense that goes beyond openly stated opinion and into spiteful nasty talk. Of course you can have opinions and talk about them, isn't that what this forum is for? All I'm saying is I will not participate in this conversation any further if it becomes full of stupid cattyness based on half facts and people making light of the death of a child. 'I think he murdered the baby because a,b&c' is perfectly reasonable, 'I think he was already unstable 'insert-anti-fundie-ramble' and something pushed him over the edge' is even fairly ok. but 'I know he murdered the baby because they homeschool and all homeschoolers are crazy kid murderers and the mum was probably in on it too because she didn't want a son, only daughters like her other four, they all deserve it roflcopter' is really not, it's stupid nastiness from ignorant and bitter people... I'm going to hear enough of that the next few days, in fact I'm dreading going to playgroup today because of it, it's the local town gossip, and people know I was homeschooled.

I don't think that's unreasonable to ask that the conversation remain a conversation, and emotion-fueled opinions be stated in a mature manner, and not become a snark-fest making fun of a family in pain and belittling the tragedy of a lost child. Sure you can disagree with their life, heck, I disagree with their life! But you can disagree without nastiness and spite. That's all I was asking.

You do realise that there is a difference between the scripts you play out in your head and real-life reality, don't you? Because your rant was really quite bizarre. Not least because FJ really isn't all that well-known as a place where people make light of children's deaths ...

I am really scratching my head over why you imagine FJers would want to sit at your feet to hear rumours from

someone entirely unrelated to the family and the events.