Little girl lost in a racial storm
By Karla Grant and Matthew Benns
March 21, 2004 - 1:52AM
The Sun-Herald
A shattered life: April Ceissman, the girlfriend of Thomas 'TJ' Hickey, at the Block in Redfern on Friday. Photo: Danielle Smith
She is the other victim of the tragic death that sparked the Redfern riots.
When Thomas "TJ" Hickey was impaled on railings after his bike spun out of control, the dreams of his 14-year-old girlfriend, April Ceissman, died with him.
"I don't dream any more. They don't come true. It's all shit anyway," she said, sitting in the sunshine at the now infamous Block with a cigarette hanging from her lips.
For the first time since 17-year-old TJ's death last month, April has finally spoken out about their lives together on the Block.
Though only 14, with angelic looks, April liberally peppers every sentence with expletives. It is a sad reminder of the life she has led - a million miles from that of most Australian teens.
Much of it has been spent on the move, living with different family members. Though born in Sydney, her parents are from Coonabarabran.
Her father, Gordon, died almost five years ago, and her relationship with her mother is mercurial.
It is a great irony of her story that her relationship with TJ was one of the few constants in her life.
It all ended just a month ago when TJ, short for Thomas junior, left April at his aunt's home after 11am on St Valentine's Day and mounted his BMX bike to go and get $20 from his mother to buy cigarettes and chips.
April timed his journey. Why? Some say because she wanted to ensure he didn't stray into trouble in an area populated by drug dealers. April avoids the question. "I dunno, cos we always did that," she said.
It should have taken no more than 20 minutes. When he was longer, she called TJ's mother, Gail.
NSW Police have confirmed they were looking for a bag snatcher that Saturday night. They deny chasing TJ.
April, like many of those at the Block, has no doubt. She believes they did.
Why? "Because people seen police chasing him. They chase anyone, cos that's what they do.
"Gail rung me back and said he had been in an accident. I thought it was just a little one."
For whatever reason, TJ had come hurtling off his bike and landed on the metal poles of the walkway fence behind the Turanga Housing Commission tower.
April only realised just how serious his injuries had been once she reached Sydney Children's Hospital at Randwick. TJ was dead and the Block was set to ignite in anger, recrimination and riots.
"The day after TJ's death, everyone on the Block was angry and sad. They were angry about the police and everyone was angry about what happened to TJ," April said.
She missed the riot because she left the Block early and went home. There was none of the care normally in place for grieving teenagers.
"My dad passed away when I was younger and my mum, she doesn't worry. I don't know where she is even," April said. "If you find her, tell me."
Her family is scattered across the state. Her life for the past year and a half was with TJ and Gail and her six young daughters.
April has a 16-year-old brother and a younger sister - "she lives with my aunty in Dulwich Hill".
Instead of being at home and cared for the night after the riots, April was wandering the streets of Waterloo.
She said: "I was walking up to Waterloo and the police were driving past swearing and stuff. I heard my friend singing out to me from the back of the paddy [wagon].
"She was bleeding. I had a go at them for hurting her and they grabbed me. They grabbed me for abusing the police and then they found some drugs on me."
April spent the night in the police lockup. "I wasn't surprised," she said. "It happens.
I've been locked up before. I wasn't shocked. At least I got a good night's sleep."
She was released without breakfast before 8am the following day.
With TJ she had found some happiness. "We did everything together. Most of all we liked playing on the X-Box . . . I don't want to talk about that any more."
April now lives with her aunt, Cindy Smith, in Waterloo.
Ms Smith said: "I don't know how she can hold up, she's only 14 years old and she's making sure everyone else is all right. She talks about it a lot to my kids and to Gail, which is good that she does that. She goes through what happened that day and what happened after."
TJ's mother said April had spent a lot of time with her since his death. "She comes and sits there with the girls," Ms Hickey said.
Then she stopped and shook her head. Lost for words.
After a while she said of her only son, now lying in an early grave in Walgett: "I thought he would never get a girlfriend because he wasn't interested in girls. She was his first. They were never apart, they were always mucking around and fighting together."
TJ's father, Ian West, was not allowed out of prison for the funeral service. He has since been taken to the grave, with Ms Hickey's brother, who is in the same jail.
Like any mother who has lost a child, Ms Hickey does not want her son's death to be in vain. "If I can't get my son back then I want some justice because of what has happened to him," she said.
Her best friend, Cheryl Hookey, is not so confident it will make a change. "The police have harassed our kids for too long. This has been happening since I was a kid, it's been happening forever," Ms Hookey said.
"We are not saying our boys are good boys but even when there are no boys who have been in trouble, they are provoked into doing something.
"I have never been in trouble in my life, but when the police come I am frightened and run. If that's what it's like for an adult, what is it like for the kids?"
And as life moves on and returns to what passes for normal on the Block in Redfern, what of the future for a grieving 14-year-old girl?
"I will go back to school again on Monday," April said.
She will be 15 next month. Perhaps after that she will dare to dream.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/03/21/1079789939972.html