The 14 year-old girl, who was the former face of an iconic Australian hat brand, Akubra, died suddenly on January 3 following severe online bullying. Her devastated parents paid an emotional tribute to their teenage daughter online, calling upon her online bullies to come to the funeral and witness what “devastation” they caused.
Dolly’s father broke silence in an online post on Facebook, saying that his daughter killed herself in order to “escape the evil in this world.”
Tick Everett expressed gratitude to supporters and said that while Dolly’s death has devastated his family, he wants to ensure no other “precious lives” are lost, so that his daughter’s life “was not wasted” because of bullies.
“Firstly if by some chance the people who thought this was a joke and made themselves feel superior by the constant bullying and harassment see this post, please come to our service and witness the complete devastation you have created,” he wrote.
He also called on the public to put an end to bullying and stop bullies from harming others, especially children.
Meanwhile, social media users took to Twitter to express shock and sadness over the untimely death of the young girl.
— Peggy H Henson (@PeggyHHenson) January 10, 2018
— Ian Sampson (@eurosammy) January 10, 2018
— Jonathan J Morris (@JonathanHelps) January 10, 2018
Many were adamant about putting an end to online harassment and bullying.
— Garfield (@garfieldkay) January 10, 2018
— Brandi Saari (@brandilmelb) January 10, 2018
— Bully Zero Australia (@BullyZeroOz) January 10, 2018
The Australian hat maker Akubra also paid tribute to Amy Everett. The company released a statement on its Facebook page with a photo of the girl from when she was the face of Akubra.
“This is not an easy post to write. We were shocked and distressed to hear of the passing of “Dolly” — the young girl many of you will recognize as the face of our past Christmas adverts,” the post said.
“Dolly could be anyone’s daughter, sister, friend. We need to make sure that anyone in crisis knows there is always someone to talk to. Be a friend, check up on your mates.”
