Community farewells teen Burgundy-Rose Brown after 'horrific' Canterbury crash

Thursday, 22 March 2018

Family and friends of Burgundy-Rose Brown shared their grief at her funeral on Thursday.

Burgundy-Rose Brown's mother 'always knew she was special' and believes the outpouring of love expressed after her death proved it.

The 16-year-old's white coffin sat at the front of the room at her funeral in Christchurch on Thursday, adorned with messages and dozens of single-stem roses, homegrown sunflowers, and bouquets. Her mother, Anita Terrell, spoke of a daughter she felt 'blessed' to have raised.

Burgundy-Rose Brown, 16, died in crash in Amberley, in north Canterbury, on Sunday.

'I told her I loved her every day.

'I have no regrets about the memories we made, the opportunities we grabbed, the roadies we drove, the clothes, the shoes, the make-up we bought, the restaurants we ate in . . . I actually would change something though, I'd double all that.'

Burgundy-Rose Brown's mother urged teenagers to reach out 'anytime' they felt they were in an unsafe situation.

More than 500 people turned out for the teen's funeral. Family and friends released 16 balloons to honour each year of her short life.

* Three still in hospital after crash that killed two teens in Canterbury

* Driven to death: NZ's abysmal road toll**

Zayn Malik and Taylor Swift's I Don't Wanna Live Forever played while mourners surrounded the teen's coffin. Burgundy-Rose and Dexter Morgan Barham, also 16, both died when the Nissan Silvia they were travelling in crashed on State Highway 1, north of Amberley, about 6am on Sunday.

Dexter, a learner driver, crossed the centre line and collided head-on with a northbound black Holden Colorado, according to police. The pair died at the scene. Three other people – Dexter's other passenger and two from the oncoming car – were injured.

Media were invited to attend Burgundy-Rose's funeral in the auditorium at The Living Waters Christian Centre in Halswell on Thursday afternoon. More than 500 friends, family and classmates gathered to remember the girl who would be 'forever sweet 16'.

Terrell said Burgundy-Rose, known as Rose and Burgs, was a 'social butterfly' and creative who loved cooking, drawing, dancing and eating. She tried her hand at drama classes and hairdressing and wanted to be an air-hostess for the travel perks.

The family lived in Lyttelton for most of her childhood before spending three years in Sydney, where she became a 'beach babe' and joined a surf lifesaving club. She learnt snippets of Italian and Arabic and 'met the world' in Australia, Terrell said.

On their return to Christchurch, Burgundy-Rose attended Catholic Cathedral College before transferring to Lincoln High School.

She shared a close relationship with her father Adrian, brother Trent, 19, and had an 'inseparable' bond with younger sister Magenta, 14.

Terrell said even in death, Burgundy-Rose would be laughing along with them all. The family picked her body up in their 1978 Ford Cortina wagon on Wednesday and took her to a memorial at her father's Rolleston home.

'But, being as organised as I was, we needed gas to get there so we had to have a wee bit of a stop. So we stopped at the Mobil in Hornby . . . and the guy said 'what, is that a coffin in the back?'

'Trent and I were laughing as we knew Burgs would think this was a great story.'

She urged others to stay safe on the road and not 'take a chance or risk'.

'We are here if you ever need to talk, hug, cry or laugh. Keep me and Burg in your lives. Any time day or night, if you need a pickup because you find yourselves in a situation you don't want to be in, please ring us.

'Remember you are precious and delicately made. This life is short but have the longest one you can.'

After the service, 16 gold balloons were released and school mates performed a haka as the coffin was lifted into the hearse.

'Burgundy-Rose, I love love, love you. I feel so blessed to have been given the chance to be your mum,' Terrell said.

'God bless you and behave yourself.'