Thoughts of Kayleigh: Shaun Haidon

The below post was written by Shaun Haidon - Kayleigh's Year co-ordinator at Calwell High, and her Year 7 English and SoSE teacher. This is a copy of what Shaun wrote for (and read at) Kayleigh's funeral.
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For those who don’t know me, my name is Shaun Haidon. I am the Year 8 Co-ordinator at Calwell High School and have known Kayleigh since 2008 when she was in Year 6 at Theodore Primary. I was her SOSE and English Teacher in Year 7.

As a teacher, you enter the profession with the responsibility of guiding and encouraging young people to strive for excellence, to respect themselves and others and to make responsible decisions for the future.

You start the school year with the duty to advance the learning of students in your care, and ensure they eventually leave being wiser and more caring, conscientious citizens who have the tools to change the world for the better.

As a teacher, you never expect, that you will ever have to say goodbye to one of your students in this way.

Kayleigh had a gorgeous smile - in listening to others talk about Kayleigh, they always spoke about how she would always smile. Walking down the corridor, chatting, in class, at lunch time, always smiling.

Kayleigh had energy which knew no bounds. She was a vibrant student who thrived at Calwell, participating in every activity, class discussion, excursion, and practical experiment with outstanding effort.

She was very competitive and always wanted to do better than the previous time around. I remember in SOSE while learning about the life of a Spartan warrior, she would beat everyone else in the class in our Spartan training activities, she had the boys running in fear when it came to the sparring.

At other times, I would get 'humphs' or a rolling of the eyes if she ever got less than an A in her assessment. But this was all rectified next time round. Next time round, it was always perfect, and she made sure you knew it!

Kayleigh was friendly to everyone, and was extremely helpful and caring. She had many friends, evidenced by the number of people here today. Yes Terence and Judith, we all loved your little Kayleigh. Everyone has something positive to say about her.

Kayleigh was a fitness fanatic. She would tell me all about her dads home gym, and her plan to be a personal trainer. She took great care in what she ate. At one point we had the canteen especially making salad sandwiches for her. She believed strongly you had to take care of your body.

Looking back, Kayleigh has taught us many things. Lessons which may not have been evident at the time but are now.

She taught us to be nicer to each other, and to be friendly and helpful to those around us, regardless of if we knew the person well or not.

She taught us family is the most important thing, and that for as long as we care and love the people in our family, everything will be ok.

She taught us to live life to the full, and take every opportunity which comes our way.

She taught us to do our best, every time. And to do even better the next time round.

And finally, she taught us to be true to ourselves. To cut the b.s, talk straight, and take it all in our stride.

These are some of the great things our dear Kayleigh taught us.

She taught me all these things over a mere 2 years. Imagine what she would be capable of doing if she were not taken from us too soon.

Yet Kayleigh lives on. To paraphrase Helen Keller, Kayleigh will live on forever for what we have once enjoyed we can never lose, because all that we love deeply becomes a part of us.

So as we sit here today and join the Stamp family in their grief. We can take solace in that we will never need to say goodbye to Kayleigh, because she will live on forever in everyone of us.