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The mother of an international university student who died when a tree branch fell on her as she rested after a run in the park has called for a coronial inquest.
Alifia Soeryo, 22, was sitting beside the eight-tonne Eucalyptus tree at the University of Adelaide’s soccer grounds when part of the trunk collapsed on February 5, 2024.
The tree fell on top of the Indonesian-born student and she died at the scene despite the best efforts of paramedics who attempted to revive her.
Ms Soeryo’s friends, family and and even an police investigator who looked into the death returned to the site to commemorate her life one year after the tragedy on Saturday.
Her mother, Novie Badilla, has been demanding access to the investigation into her daughter’s death for months so that she can understand exactly how it happened.
SafeWork ruled in a report that no workplace laws were broken and deemed the incident a ‘tragic accident’ in July 2024.
Officials from the agency found that the Adelaide Council, which looks after the public space, was not responsible for Ms Soeryo’s death.
Ms Badilla, 56, is still requesting a deeper investigation and said she felt like her ‘world had ended’ when she lost her daughter.
Alifia Soeryo died when a tree crushed her on the University of Adelaide’s soccer grounds on February 5
Novie Badilla, 56, is calling for a coronial inquiry into her daughter’s death in 2024
At the memorial Ms Badilla said she just wants answers about how her daughter could have died so suddenly in a place that was supposed to be safe.
‘I just want to know what happened with that tree,’ she told 7News.
Ms Badilla said she keeps returning to the university’s soccer grounds because she could still feel her daughter’s presence there.
Other friends of Ms Soeryo shared heartfelt tributes online to commemorate the tragic day.
Her friend Anggito Reno wrote a touching letter which was posted to his Instagram story and then shared to her posthumous account.
‘Hey there Fi, it’s been a while. A year has passed since you left, how have you been? I hope you’re doing fine up there. Did you get my texts,’ he wrote.
‘Each text that I sent felt like a conversation I never got to finish, a word I didn’t get to say, or maybe a laugh that might never have happened.
SafeWork ruled in a report that no workplace laws were broken and deemed the incident a ‘tragic accident’ in July 2024
Ms Badilla said she keeps returning to the place where she daughter died because she still feels Ms Soeryo’s presence there
Ms Soeryo was into fitness and like cycling and running and enjoyed Australia’s outdoor lifestyle
‘Everyone is trying their best to move on with life ever since you left… My sadness lies in the fact that as I grow older, you’re gonna stay younger.
‘As everyone around me starts to develop wrinkles and back pain, you’re gonna stay beautiful and healthy.’
Ms Soeryo, who arrived in Adelaide to study her masters in communications at the university in 2023, wanted to work in the transport sector.
She was a keen road cyclist and often shared videos riding with friends on country roads on the outskirts of Adelaide.
The council had conducted inspections of the Adelaide parklands in June 2023, but no structural issues were detected.
A council spokesman previously told Daily Mail Australia they were working with authorities as investigations into the incident continued.
‘The City of Adelaide has and will continue to fully co-operate with investigating agencies. The City of Adelaide’s internal investigation and response to the incident is ongoing,’ the spokesman said.
‘The City of Adelaide continues to express its deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Ms Soeryo.’
