Final

OFFICER Primary School honoured the memory of one of its favourite students with the unveiling of a memorial garden last week.
The garden was built for Ryan Boon who died three years ago of mucopolysaccharidoses, or MPS, a disorder he suffered all his life.
Remembered as a boy with an infectious laugh who made the most of his short life, Ryan was 12 years old when he died.
His family – including father Eric, mother Wendy, sister Jessica and brother Brenden – joined current and former teachers and students of the school at the opening of the garden.
Ryan’s mother said the garden was a great tribute to Ryan.
“It’s a great way to remember our special little boy,” Mrs Boon said.
“We are very grateful to the school and the students for creating the idea.”
About 50 people turned out for the unveiling, including former teachers and parents whose children no longer went to the school.
“Ryan’s old teachers came back for the day and so did his ‘buddies’ from the buddy system they have at the school,” Mrs Boon said.
“There were also some students who are now in high school who started school and kinder with Ryan and came along.”
Mrs Boon said the students at the school worked really hard creating the memorial.
“The junior council, which is the children, have been working on the idea for a long time now, they did some fundraising to buy things for the garden and also did a lot of the work.”
Andrew Young, a teacher at the school, said the memorial was a great tribute to a student who had a big effect on the school community.
“The students had a lot of input into how the memorial would look,”he said. “It has a table with a chessboard, which the students painted pink because that was his favourite colour; there is a pergola and a windchime, which one of the students built.
“It’s a nice shady area so it will be a good quiet place where students can go and relax and reflect.”
People who suffer from MPS are missing an enzyme that breaks down mucopolysaccharides in cells. This missing enzyme meant Ryan’s body could not break down complex sugars and this caused a range of health problems. More than 300 people attended Ryan’s funeral at St Patrick’s Church in December 2003.