Morcombe plans two funeral services for Daniel on the Sunshine Coast next Friday

Dean, Daniel and Bradley

News was published in December 1st, 2012 by Herald Sun.

DANIEL Morcombe, the boy who launched a child-safety revolution, will be laid to rest at Woombye, a few hundred metres from his childhood home.

The family will conduct two services next Friday, nine years to the day since the 13-year-old disappeared while waiting for a bus in the Sunshine Coast hinterland. Bruce Morcombe said the public was invited to the first ceremony, at 11am at St Catherine of Siena at Sippy Downs, on the grounds of Siena Catholic College where Daniel went to school. Attendees are asked to wear red, the colour of the shirt Daniel was last wearing. It has become a symbol for the Daniel Morcombe Foundation and its campaign to help keep children safe. "Everyone is welcome to come (to Siena). This, in part, will be a celebration of Daniel's short life, but also a thank you from the family to all those who never forgot Daniel and never gave up the fight to find him," Mr Morcombe said.

"There will also be a private burial for family members only at Woombye Cemetery. We ask this be respected. Denise and Bruce Morcombe at outside Brisbane Magistrates Court. They have announced details of funeral services for their son, nine years to the day since he went missing. "The cemetery is about 300m from our former family home and 1.5km from where he went missing. The Walk for Daniel goes past each year. It is significant because of its locality." Daniel's mother Denise said her son would be laid to rest near the home where he grew up, sharing many wonderful times with family and friends.

She said what he enjoyed most was riding his motocross bike on the property.

 

Dean and Daniel on their motorcross bikes

The public service will be conducted by Fr Joe Duffy and Fr Jan Bialasiewicz and the family has requested that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Daniel Morcombe Foundation.

This would support Daniel's valuable legacy, which was "working hard to protect other children, keeping kids safe and to help young victims of crime".

Outside court on day five of the committal hearing yesterday, Mr Morcombe said he had not lost sight of their main goal - justice for their son.

"But let's not forget where we are and why we're here," he said.

"All those years ago, Daniel was abducted, he was murdered, and that's the reason we're going through the legal process.

"Somebody has done this.

"And we need to find who is responsible and obviously they need to pay a price for that."

Tim Meehan, legal defence for accused killer Brett Peter Cowan, said he expected his client was headed to trial.

"The relevant test for a magistrate in determining whether or not to commit someone to trial is a very low threshold test," he said.

Mr Meehan said Cowan would contest the charges against him.

"He says that he did not do any of those things which have been alleged against him," Mr Meehan said.

"He is defending the charges and that's why we are undertaking the committal process."

The committal yesterday heard from a series of witnesses who spoke of seeing a young boy and a man waiting for a bus near the Kiel Mountain Rd overpass.

One witness, Wendy Burnett, told how she "locked eyes" with a man as she drove along the Nambour Connection Rd on December 7, 2003.

"He just looked so rough and unkempt that it caught my eye," she said.

"I was totally overwhelmed by what I saw in that man.

"It scared me a little bit."

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