THE tragic way 11 year-old Dominique Baxendell’s life was extinguished at Holy Spirit School, Bray Park on the night of Saturday, May 20, is the reason the sale of fireworks to the general public was banned many years ago.
In the hands of people who are not given adequate training to use pyrotechnics, they are a lethal weapon.
Nothing will bring Dominique back to those who loved her, but everything possible needs to be done to prevent such a tragedy occurring again.
Fireworks regulations and accreditation standards for handling them need to be urgently reviewed and where necessary toughened.
The hearts of tens of thousands of Australians go out to Dominique and her family. They are the innocent victims of an accident that should never have happened.
