WHEN Samantha Fraser’s killer was found guilty of her murder last month, friends and family breathed a collective sigh of relief.
It had taken 1368 days for them to secure some measure of justice for the former Swan Hill woman who was taken from their lives far too soon.
While national media coverage focused on Samantha, and how the Phillip Island psychologist was murdered by her estranged husband, Adrian Basham, caught up in all this were Samantha’s three children.
Jemima, 13, Rex, 11, and April, 9, have been effectively orphaned by their father’s crime and are now living with their maternal grandparents. Their father will face sentencing in September.
Trevor Fraser said that to his grandchildren, his daughter was “the very centre of their being, the sunshine in every day of their lives,”
“Their lives over the past 45 months have not been easy. Their lives have been filled with confusion, grief and trauma. But life has to go on,” Mr Fraser said.
To ease the financial strain of taking care of three children, family friend Rodney Boyle has set up a Go Fund Me page that aims to raise $100,000 to assist Trevor and his wife.
“At times, the costs associated with caring for and educating a second family can be beyond retired grandparents,” Mr Fraser said.
“After the events of the last two years; the lockdowns, the homeschooling and all this grief and trauma, the children have dreams of doing some special things.”
“The much valued assistance and kindness of society will help make these dreams a reality.”
Despite the tragedy that has been going on in their lives, Mr Fraser said the three children had been extremely resilient and were enjoying many out-of-school activities.
Eldest Jemima has recently begun secondary school and is learning the piano and loves yoga, but has unfortunately developed some significant health issues that need to be addressed.
Rex is taking tennis lessons, learning taekwondo and learning the violin.
Just as his mother was school captain of Swan Hill College, young Rex is following in his mother’s footsteps as a house captain at Cowes Primary School.
Youngest April loves animals and aspires to become a vet, she is having horse riding lessons as well as playing netball and taking up gymnastics.
She is currently having plenty of practice as she takes care of the family’s three chooks, two guinea pigs and as well as a cat and a dog.
The trio hope to head to Queensland in July to see their Aunty Jo and meet their new cousin as well as heading overseas to visit their Uncle Nick and his three children, with another cousin due in June.
The GoFundMe campaign raised almost $12,000 in its first week. Search for “Caring for Sams children” on the GoFundMe Page.
