Destined for greatness, cut down in her prime

Maxine van der Velden

In 10 years Maxine van der Velden made a lot of friends.

She came to New Zealand as a 9-year-old blonde Dutch girl. When she died after a hit-and-run accident, 1000 people went to her funeral.

"One of the things I picked up after her death was that she had a lot of friends," said Maxine's father, Jan van der Velden. "That's what amazed us, that she knew so many people. "

Mr van der Velden remembers his daughter as "an old soul" who was bubbly and outgoing. "If she was there, you knew she was there," he said. "She was a head-turner when she walked into a room, but she was also good on the inside."

Maxine had been studying art at Auckland University. Her death, eight days after she was thrown 30m through the air by a car, affected staff and students at the University.

"Everybody loved her," said her father.

Mr van der Velden said it was thanks to Maxine's friends and support from other Mt Eden residents and businesspeople that the family had managed to go on following the loss of their daughter. Now, they are working with the Mt Eden community to keep Maxine's memory alive.

Next month the the Maxine van der Velden Memorial Charitable Trust will be launched by her family and Mt Eden Village Mainstreet and Business Association.

The trust will provide scholarships for young Aucklanders who wish to continue their development in education, the arts, music, dance, sport or science.

The van der Veldens hope it will help young people who are destined for great things - just as they believe their daughter would have been had her path not collided with that of a motorist two years ago.