Scroll down to hear a snippet of the song
A song has been recorded telling the story of murdered Albury teenager Kim Meredith.
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Musician Graham Howle was inspired by a plaque placed in Albury’s QEII Square by residents in the aftermath of her tragic death.
It is now 20 years since she was killed, on March 23, 1996.
Anonymously penned soon after she died, the words read in part: “The short blond hair, the small shy smile, she wouldn’t talk much but after a while, she’d relax a bit, her good nature broke through, I didn’t know her well, but you didn’t have to”.
Howle’s song, Kim Meredith, was officially unveiled when he launched his latest album, Man with a story, before a packed audience at the northern NSW town of Macksville last Saturday night.
It focuses on Kim’s life, not her death at the hands of Graham Mailes.
June Meredith said she was “tickled pink” by the song about her daughter as it “lets people know that Kim was here”.
“The only thing we asked him to change was the wording of ‘they took her away’ to ‘he took her away’,” she said.
Kim’s father, Bob Meredith, said he had not heard the final version, but regularly played the copy he had.
“It means a lot,” he said.
“Whoever wrote those words originally just summarised the whole situation quite nicely. We don’t know who did it and we haven’t even tried to find out.
“They wanted to remain anonymous and we respect that.”
Howle got the idea for the song about 18 months ago when in Albury to visit his children.
“I went to QEII Square where the memorial was and was playing a bit of music and writing some songs,” he said.
“I wasn't having much luck and I turned about 90 degrees on my seat and I saw the plaque.
“I went over and read it.
“I Googled Kim’s name and it was pretty much the same story as that of Shandee Blackburn in Mackay.”
Ms Blackburn was stabbed 22 times as she walked home from her job as a barmaid in South Mackay in February of 2013.
While Howle was in QEII Square he began to write down a few thoughts, then put some music to the words.
But even when completed, he did not want to perform the song until he had the approval of the Merediths, who moved to Perth in 1998.
They sent Howle a video of Kim’s life to help finalise the composition.
“That was quite moving. And that helped with the writing of it and the delivery of the song,” Howle said.
“I was quite privileged to have been given the opportunity to get an insight into her life.
“I love all of the songs on the album.
“But I think this one cuts a little deeper than the rest.”
- A special report on the 20th anniversary of Kim Meredith’s death will appear in Weekender on Saturday.