Birth eases pain of brutal domestic violence death
In the wake of one of WA's most brutal domestic violence deaths has come new life to help a grieving family better deal with a pain that will never go away.
In 2009, Andrea Pickett was the victim of a high-profile domestic violence attack when her husband Kenneth stabbed her 17 times after repeatedly breaching a violence restraining order. The 39-year-old's death was examined at a coronial inquest last year.
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Eight weeks ago, her niece Jade gave birth to a healthy baby daughter, whom she named Ali to reflect her late aunt's full maiden name, Andrea Louise Isaacs.
Andrea's sister Kelly is caring for the five youngest of Andrea's 13 children as well as three of her grandchildren, the youngest just 12 weeks old.
But as the family try to put the past behind them, Kelly's daughter Kirby Bentley has also brought new joy by joining her sister Ashleigh in WA football ranks. The move has already given rise to the former star netball junior becoming one of Australia's most decorated players.
Kelly said she was proud of her daughters and credited Kirby as being a solid rock in a time of emotional avalanche.
"I'm proud of all my girls beyond words," she said. "I think they take after me in that they're strong girls who tend to hide a few things but they're pretty close and they have a good little bond.
"They've exceeded my expectations and they're just beautiful kids.
"Kirby is very mature and tries to keep it together. She's a good person, a very good person."
