Add Category
ON the sprawling memorial ground in South Dandenong, family and friends usually stand before plaques for lives lived far longer.
Yesterday hundreds gathered what memories they could for a little girl lost. There were no pictures or funeral cards to help mourners remember little Sanaya Sahib.
Just a tiny coffin, surrounded by flowers, soft toys and unanswered questions.
One week after her body was pulled from a creek, friends and family did their best to reconcile the loss. But the kind words issued would have been enough for the longest life, not one cut short after 14 months.
Sanaya’s father Sameer was embraced from every side. His little girl was a precious angel, he was told again and again; she was in a much better place.
But there were few other words to offer for a grief and confusion quite like this.
The congregation at this Islamic service were told children were a gift.
Imam Ismail Hyka said girls, in particular, must be nurtured and protected.
“Kids are our future,’’ he told mourners.
“Kids are our life. We need to take care of them and raise them up and educate them.’’
But for whatever failures had led to her death, he said he hoped the tragic loss of Sanaya might unite all those gathered.
And for all those who had known the little girl, there were just as many who didn’t.
Rosalia Mason, the teen who with her family found Sanaya’s body, detailed the scale of their broken hearts without having ever heard her voice.
“It will forever be planted in our minds but we are glad we found her,’’ she said.
Brother-in-law Jameel Ahmed said the support for the family had been overwhelming: “Sanaya brought so much joy to our family. Sameer loves his little princess and will love and miss her every day of his life.â€