‘They will not be forgotten’: Hannah Clarke’s father delivers heartfelt tribute

Hannah Clarke and her three young children will be remembered for the love, laughter and joy they brought to people’s lives, according to her heartbroken father Lloyd.

The father-of-two, who was supported on stage by son Nathaniel, bravely delivered a speech during a vigil in Brisbane on Sunday night, which was arranged by the local council in memory of Hannah and her three young children Laianah, six, Aaliyah, four, and Trey, three.

Hannah and her three children were killed in an horrific car fire on Wednesday, which is believed to have been deliberately lit by her estranged husband Rowan Baxter, who also died at the scene, having allegedly stabbed himself after igniting the blaze.

“This has been the hardest week of our lives,” Lloyd told the crowd, as thousands of people gathered at Bill Hewitt Reserve in Camp Hill last night to pay their respects.

“My wife Suzanne, my son Nathaniel and I have been overwhelmed by the number of people who have gone out of their way to offer their support and help us try to navigate that.”

Lloyd added: “I would like to thank Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner and the Brisbane City Council for bringing us all together and arranging this memorial for Hannah and our grandchildren.

“I am sure that in the future it will become somewhere we can visit and sit quietly to reflect on the joy that Hannah and her children brought into our lives.

“Because in the future, that is what we want to remember, the love, the laughter and the joy.”

Lloyd also paid tribute to his brave neighbours who rushed to help his family after Hannah’s Kia Sportage SUV was set alight as she set off to drop her kids at school. He added: “My family and I are forever thankful to our neighbours and those who were first on the scene who tried to tried to desperately help Hannah and the children.

“You selflessly and without hesitation did what you could to save them. I don’t know how we can repay such kindness.”

Lloyd, who was also seen supporting his wife, Hannah’s mother Suzanne, throughout the poignant service, finished by describing the pride they had in their daughter and three grandchildren.

“We are so proud 0f what our beautiful daughter Hannah achieved in her life and will never forget the joy our grandchildren brought to our lives every day,” he said.

“They will not be forgotten as your love and support will also never be forgotten.”

The vigil comes after Rowan’s cousin Sandra Taylor opened up about the former NRL player’s dark history of violence and her decision to cut ties with Baxter out of fear for her own safety in an interview with Nine News at the weekend.

“Not that I’m saying Rowan is a victim, but Rowan has been raised by a father and his father and his father, and it goes onwards, that women are two things, to be the house cleaner and to be a prostitute,” she told the program.

Sandra told Nine News she had been estranged from Baxter, however, had reached out to Hannah when she was brave enough to leave.

“It was just fear, complete fear,” she said. “The moment I reached out to Hannah, there was just all this dog faeces, I’ve never had a stray dog on my property. He was continually walking past my store at the shopping centre, the same one where Hannah works, worked.”