Work colleagues have paid tribute to an Australian teenager who died in hospital after falling critically ill from a mass methanol poisoning in Laos.
Holly Bowles’ devastated family confirmed her passing on Friday, just one day after her friend Bianca Jones also died in hospital surrounded by loved ones.
Both women had been taken to hospitals in Thailand as their families made a mercy dash to be with them.
Following the news of her tragic passing, the owner of Frank’s, a Melbourne café where Bowles had worked for more than two years while saving up for her adventure of a lifetime with Jones, paid tribute to the young woman they had “taken under their wing”.
“Holly was the best of us. She was sweet, incredibly kind, reliable, funny, diligent, hardworking and extremely capable. Believe me when I say that I couldn’t fault her,” Frank’s café owner, Harry, said.
The 19-year-old had started at Frank’s working on weekends during high school, and after graduating had started to work more regularly.
“She was a staple of the Frank’s team for the first half of this year while she saved up for a trip of a lifetime with her best mate.”
Harry said that he was first made aware of a “tragic and unfolding situation” in Thailand on Monday, and had since sat “in a soul-crushing limbo”.
“Yesterday I was told of Bianca’s tragic passing, and I’ve just been made aware that Shaun, Holly’s dad, has now confirmed the tragic passing of Holly,” he said in an online post on Friday.
“To the Jones family and friends; I didn’t know your Bianca, but I feel like I do now. If there’s anything that we can do to help at this time, or any time in the future, you’re all now family to us so just say the word, and we’ll make it happen, whatever it is.
“To Shaun, Samantha and the rest of Bowles family and all of Holly’s friends; you’re family, and we at Frank’s are here for you day and night in any capacity.
“I want you to know that we loved and adored your Holly with all our hearts, and we’ll miss her so, so much.”
Harry thanked the café staff for their support and resilience of each other over the week, and said they had handled themselves with “grace, strength and class”.
“The significance of taking little Holly under your wings when she first walked through our door is not lost on me. You should all be so, so proud of yourselves for helping shape Holly into the wonderful, delightful, capable person she was.
“Finally, to Holly. I’m just so thankful you walked through our door with a resume, kid. I’ll never forget you, mate.”
Frank’s will be closed on Saturday, November 23, to allow staff members time to grieve the death of their co-worker.
