Bea’s Story

Bea’s story is not the story of a little girl who lost a battle with cancer.

It is the story of a little girl who spent almost nine years growing up much like any other child; learning, laughing, playing, exploring and becoming more herself with every passing day. She was a daughter, a sister, a granddaughter, a cousin and a friend. She was bright, creative, funny, determined and completely full of love.

Cancer was something that happened to Bea. It was never what defined her.

A wonderfully imaginative little person

Beatrix Victoria Banks, Bea to most, was curious about the world. She was fiercely loyal to the people she loved, possessed a dry wit and had a very clear sense of fairness. If something did not seem quite right, she was rarely shy about saying so.

She had a wonderfully creative imagination and brought a little magic to everyday life. She believed wholeheartedly in fairies, unicorns and rainbows. She organised tea parties, built cubbies and filled the house with music, singing and dancing.

Bea noticed the small things that others often missed: a feather on the ground, a beautiful flower in the garden or the delicate flutter of a butterfly. She found wonder in the world and, simply by being herself, reminded those around her to slow down and notice it too.

She had a golden heart. She made friendship charms and bracelets for the people she cared about - small but thoughtful gestures that reflected her kindness and loyalty. She had a gentle strength that did not need to be loud to be felt, a sparkle in her eyes and a contagious giggle that could light up her whole face.

Stories, creativity and friendship

Bea loved stories.

She devoured books from an early age, racing through much of the Harry Potter series and was desperate to discover what happened next. She read widely, loved graphic novels and became an enthusiastic fan of the Murder Most Unladylike series.

She was a wonderfully creative artist.

Bea spent hours drawing and filling sketchbooks with flowers and her own dress designs. Many of her artworks now hang in her family’s home and farm - treasures that carry her imagination and creative spirit forward.

Friendship was central to Bea’s life.

Bea formed a close group of friends at preschool. These relationships remained deeply important to her. Together they read, created art, dressed up, made videos and disappeared into imaginative worlds of their own making.

Bea loved parties, celebrations, sleepovers, movies, Christmas, Halloween and seemingly endless visits to Bounce.

The activity itself was rarely the most important part. What she loved was simply being with her friends and family. In return, Bea was a loyal, sincere and caring person who made the people around her feel loved.

The things she loved

  • Family was at the centre of Bea’s world. She treasured the everyday moments spent with the people she loved, with Woody and Luna never far from her side. Their companionship, affection and playful antics brought her enormous comfort and joy.

  • She shared a beautiful bond with her younger brother, Harvey; a relationship filled with laughter, imagination and shared adventures. They skied together, explored the family farm, played games and created the sorts of memories that will remain part of their family forever.

  • Bea loved the water and the family’s visits to Far North Queensland. Her perfect rhythm was the beach in the morning and the pool in the afternoon, with plenty of swimming, sandcastles and playing in the waves.

  • Queensland also provided Bea with one of her great culinary loves: mango sorbet. She ate it at an extraordinarily relaxed pace, carefully shaping decorative swirls long after everyone else had finished. She never hurried something she was enjoying. That was classic Bea.

  • She loved home, where her bedroom became a haven filled with audiobooks, drawings, puzzles and an impressive collection of Pusheens, Squishmallows and other soft toys. She loved markets, gift shops, jewellery and collecting little treasures. She was big into games and was fiercely competitive - fortunately for her, she did not lose very often.

  • At the family farm, Bea could run free and explore. She loved campfires, motorbike rides, extraordinary sunsets and skies filled with stars. She dreamed of riding horses and would quietly relish those moments when the girls outperformed the boys in friendly farmyard building competitions.

  • She loved cooking lemon tarts and enormous batches of lasagne with her family. All part of the wonderful fabric of Bea’s life: books and art, music and dancing, family and friendship, games around the kitchen table, sorbet in the sun and adventures shared with the people she loved.

When everything changed

In Febraury 2024, cancer entered Bea’s life and changed everything.

For almost two years, she endured treatments, hospital stays and uncertainty that no child should ever have to face. Cancer interrupted her schooling, her friendships and many of the simple pleasures she loved. It took away experiences that should have been hers and forced her family into a world they could never have imagined.

Yet throughout it all,
Bea remained Bea.

She remained bright, funny, creative and determined. She continued to find happiness in stories, games, time with her friends and quiet moments at home. Cancer affected almost every part of her life, but it could not take away her personality, her place within her family or the love that surrounded her every day.

In February 2026, we lost our Bea at just ten years old; only a month shy of her 11th birthday.

The devastation of losing her cannot adequately be expressed in words. Cancer took away the life she should have lived and the years her family and friends should have shared with her. It took away imagined futures: more family holidays, more books and artworks, more days skiing together and countless ordinary moments that would have meant everything.

But cancer did not, and will never, define Bea’s life.

Loved every day

Bea taught those around her about the power of love and the importance of life’s seemingly small moments: a good book, a game at the kitchen table, a sorbet in the sunshine, time with friends or an adventure with family. Her life was far too short, but it was filled with wonder, creativity, laughter, friendship and an extraordinary amount of love.

The Beatrix Victoria Banks Sarcoma Research Fund

The Beatrix Victoria Banks Sarcoma Research Fund was created from that enduring love. It exists to honour the remarkable little person Bea was, to keep her memory and spirit alive, and to help create a future in which children with sarcoma have better treatments, greater hope and the opportunity to grow up.

Cancer took away our time with Bea, but it did not take away our love for her.

We loved her every day of her life, and we will continue to love her every day of ours.

Donate today!

“Hope begins with the belief that a better future is possible.

Research is how we make it real.”