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An airport catering company has vehemently denied claims it fired a mother for violating security protocols as she exited a terminal shortly after receiving a call that her baby was dead.
Tahlia Brown was less than an hour into her shift with catering company Cater Care at Rockhampton Airport on Sept. 19 when she learned that her 17-month-old child had been found unconscious at the family’s spa.
Taidyn ‘Totty’ Murphy climbed into the hot tub of her home in Gracemere, in the Rockhampton region of Queensland, and tragically drowned.
Her partner Cecil Murphy, brother and two other children were at home when Mrs. Brown’s 12-year-old daughter discovered Totty and called her mother.
After the loss of her daughter, Ms Brown said she was told she had lost her job for “violating security” by running through the airport to her daughter.
However, Colin Redman, CEO of Cater Care, told Daily Mail Australia that the company had not terminated Ms Brown’s employment.
Mother Tahlia Brown claims she was fired for breaching security when she rushed home after being told her young daughter had drowned (photo Tahlia Brown with daughter Totty)
Colin Redman, CEO of Cater Care, told Daily Mail Australia that the company did not terminate Ms Brown’s employment but that Ms Brown was not in possession of the required ASIC card.
On September 19, Taidyn ‘Totty’ Murphy climbed into a spa tub at her home in Gracemere, Queensland and tragically drowned
Cater Care said Ms Brown was required to have an Aviation Security Identification Card (ASIC) to work at the airport, which she was not given.
“Tahlia was unsuccessful in her application for an ASIC in August 2022, but was given duties in unsecured areas at Rockhampton Airport while Cater Care sought employment opportunities in other areas,” said Mr. Redman.
“We will continue to consider employment options for Tahlia outside Rockhampton Airport.
“Our people are central to Cater Care’s values and we will continue to provide the best possible support to all our employees affected by this tragic accident.”
Mr. Redman said management was aware of her circumstances and “supporting her through this difficult time.”
“I was shocked and saddened to hear of the tragic death of Tahlia Brown’s young daughter and on behalf of Cater Care, I extend my deepest condolences to Tahlia and her family,” he said.
“Tahlia has received counseling for her and her family through a caterer during this incredibly difficult time.”
A spokesman for the Rockhampton Regional Council – which owns the airport building – told the Daily Mail Australia that they were not involved in a decision regarding Ms Brown’s employment.
“On behalf of the Rockhampton Regional Council, I would like to express our deepest condolences and condolences to the family for their heartbreaking loss,” he said.
“I can confirm that the municipality and the airport were not part of a private company’s employment decision regarding their staff – it was a company decision.
“And again, I want to extend our sincere condolences to the family for their loss.”
Tahlia Brown started her shift with catering company Cater Care at Rockhampton Airport (pictured) on September 19 when she learned that her 17-month-old child had drowned
Speaking the morning she got the call that her daughter had died, Mrs Brown told the… courier post it was a blur, but I remembered walking through security on the phone begging someone to give her a ride home because Totty’s dad dropped her off at work that morning.
“I cried and screamed and begged them to please take me home because my daughter was dying,” said Mrs. Brown.
The family attempted to resuscitate Totty by resuscitating her before taking her to Gracemere Police Station, where officers also attempted CPR.
She was then transferred to the Queensland Children’s Hospital in Brisbane in an artificial coma.
Totty died the next day in the hospital in her mother’s arms.
That day, Mrs. Brown said she received a text from her boss saying “my heart goes out to you” before things go wrong.
Ms Brown claims she contacted her employer three times – on September 23, October 5 and October 7 – to try to organize services to earn some money and to distract herself “from the heartbreak.”
In response, Ms Brown said she had been told that Cater Care should “come back” to her.
On October 13, less than a month after the loss of her daughter, Ms Brown was told her position “didn’t look good.”
She then says she was advised that while she still technically had a job with Cater Care, she should look elsewhere.
Ms Brown claims Cater Care offered her a reference but said that because she walked through security with her phone in hand, it was considered a security breach.
The family attempted to resuscitate Totty by performing CPR before taking her to Gracemere Police Station on September 19, where police also attempted CPR. She was then flown to Brisbane Children’s Hospital in an artificial coma. She later died in hospital the next day at 6:43 am
‘What did they expect from me? My baby was dead,” Mrs. Brown said.
“I’m disgusted and sad about it… I would have done what any mother would have done.
“I would have run through hot coals and done anything to get to her and be with her.”
Ms Brown said her daughter Totty was cremated and her ashes were placed in teddy bears for her other children because they “can’t handle it”.
She said the bears are called Totty Teddies.
You can donate to GoFundMe to support the family here.
Mrs Brown said Totty was cremated and her ashes were placed in teddy bears for her other children because they ‘can’t handle it’