Bridie Cocks would have celebrated her 16th birthday in January.
But she took her own life six months ago after battling deteriorating mental health.
Her mother, Joan Cocks, is softly spoken when she talks about losing her daughter.
"You sort of go into a bit of denial, like she's gone on camp, or she's at a friend's house," Ms Cocks said.
"I used to look at my phone thinking, 'oh, she's going to ring soon, or she'll come through the door'.
"And then it sets in, and you realise that she's never coming home."
Bridie is remembered as a bright, special, and beautiful teenager with a strong group of friends and a family who loved her.
Her headstone in Ballarat is scattered with some of her favourite things.
Pink flowers, perfume, notes and messages, fake eyelashes, and art have all been left in her honour.
Ms Cocks said her family struggled to find Bridie the help she needed before her death.
"I used to ring multiple psychologists in Ballarat; they would say that the books are either closed or they didn't accept 15-year-olds, or [we] had to change GPs to get her onto medication," she said.
"We ended up getting a provisional psychologist, and she was really good, but then she had to move on again.
"And then we had to find another psychologist on our own again."
Ms Cocks said youth mental health needed to be addressed as a matter of priority and called for more funding.
"I think they need to get into the schools and talk to these kids, help these kids — especially after COVID.
She said children stuggled to adjust back to going to school.
"The devastation that goes through the family, the extended family, teachers," she said.
"You know, there are so many people who are affected by one person taking their life."
Suicides on the rise
It was revealed this week there have been 13 suicides of people under 18 in Victoria between January and March this year.
According to the Victorian Suicide Register, two people under 18 died by suicide during the same period in 2022, and six young people took their own life between January and March 2021.
Ballarat has lost a number of young people in recent years.
Bridie Cocks was one of four to die in just the past 10 months.
Tackling the issue
Matt Norman is a Ballarat filmmaker, father, and staunch mental health advocate who has been talking to bereaved local families.
With their support, he is working on a project to reflect the stories of the deaths and the loved ones left behind.
"I thought, now is the time to actually do something productive, to get the mental health awareness out there for young people to not only talk about but to also get involved in," Mr Norman said.
Mr Norman will create a feature film described as a modern retelling of the classic Lord of the Flies.
The film will be cast and crewed with Ballarat-based young people.
The film, Piggy, will tackle difficult themes of bullying and social media in the 2020s.
"What happened to me at school is vastly different than what's happening to kids these days at school," Mr Norman said.
Mr Norman said Steve Bastoni, who had worked on Underbelly and The Matrix, would be an executive producer.
"I want [the crew] to have some professional experience on telling their own stories to a much bigger audience," he said.
Mental health support
Bridie Cocks' former school, Phoenix Community College, has been selected by Ballarat council as one of eight secondary schools across the city to receive the award-winning youth mental health program Live4Life.
The Department of Education did not say if the college would bring in any emergency mental health protocols for the school, or how many counsellors or psychologists were employed at the school.
A department spokesperson acknowledged the young deaths.
"The suicide of any person is a terrible tragedy," the spokesperson said.
"The health and wellbeing of all students is paramount — that's why all government schools have access to a wide range of supports.
"These include mental health support programs like those provided by headspace, ensuring a specific focus on supporting 12 to 25-year-olds."
More than $40 million was included in the state government's 2022-23 Budget for student mental health services for schools.
A state government spokesperson said the government had invested $6 billion over the past two years to support the mental health of Victorians.
They said more mental health workers, new mental health facilities, and initiatives including the state-wide Suicide Prevention and Response Strategy had ben delivered.
