MIRANDA HARRIES (1988-2006)
My daughter, Miranda Lauren Harries, was born on 6 October 1988 in Hobart, Tasmania. A happy, impish girl, she was intent on seizing every day of her short, sparkling life.
Miranda held a passionate love for her firiends,cousins, and the natural world. Dogs adored Miranda as much as she adored dogs. Bushwalking and camping were a way of life for Miranda and her brother, Nick. At the age of seven, Miranda was doing tricks on a unicyle. At the same age, she was a confident rock climber. In primary school, she showed talent as a long distance runner.
Miranda had a lively imagination, and I can credit a story she wrote at the age of 10, with inspiring my own development as a children's writer. I wrote my second children's picture book, The Crown and Gown, about Miranda's attempts to dress up as a princess when she was four.
Miranda attended Princes St Primary School, Albuera St Primary Schools and Ogilvie High School in Hobart. In 2002 she moved to Perth, Western Australia, and attended Shenton College. She made many close friends in WA, who remained in close contact after she left school at the end of 2005.
In October 2006, Miranda drove to Margaret River in search of adventure and life experience. On Friday 13 October, she was killed in a vehicle accident at Quindalup, a week after her 18th birthday.
'The temple bell stops but the sound keeps coming out of the flowers.' Basho