Family Builds Sensory Parks After Daughter's Tragic Death

When Corey Montgomery lost his daughter Airlie just one year ago, he made her a promise: turn this heartbreak into hope for other families.

The six-year-old girl, who had autism and was non-verbal, wandered from her backyard in North Nowra, Australia, on March 16, 2025. After a four-hour search involving hundreds of volunteers, she was found at the bottom of The Grotto, a local lookout. "Airlie Fairy," as her family called her, saw the world differently than most. A rock wasn't just a rock to her. It had a story, a journey, a character all its own.

But autism also meant Airlie didn't understand danger. That reality drove her parents to take action.

Now, Corey and Katie Montgomery are launching the Airlie Fairy Foundation to build sensory-safe public spaces for children with autism across New South Wales. Their first project will transform Drexel Park, the small playground behind their home where Airlie used to play. With support from Shoalhaven City Council and state government funding, they're adding inclusive sensory equipment, better fencing, and security features.

The park sits near Havenlee School, a special education facility, meaning hundreds of children will benefit. Shoalhaven already has one sensory park in Mollymook, and Mayor Patricia White welcomes the expansion. "The more we can develop the better," she said.

The Ripple Effect

More than a thousand people searched for Airlie that March afternoon. On Sunday, many of those same community members returned to The Grotto for a memorial marking one year since her passing. They installed a fairy garden in her favorite color, purple, and released bubbles over the lookout.

For Corey, the spot where his daughter died isn't haunting. It's where he goes to reset. "I have a chat to her and just check that I'm on track and that I'm doing everything I promised her I'd do," he said.

Despite the tears that still come most days, he's channeling his grief into purpose. "I've just found this ability to take everything that's happened and start asking myself, well, 'Why? Why has this happened? What am I going to do about it?'" After completing the first playground, he plans to move on to "plenty of other" public spaces across the state.

One father's promise to his daughter is becoming a movement to make the world safer and more welcoming for all children who see it a little differently.