2 weeks ago
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By Toni Ambrogetti
September 3, 2025 — 7.49pm
The last year of school can sometimes set the course for the rest of your life. But for year 12 Brisbane student Juliette Playford, the day that changed her life forever happened 10 years ago.
Juliette was only eight when her father, Stephen Playford, murdered her little sister Sidney at their Kedron home.
That same night he tried to kill Juliette, but her screams derailed his triple murder suicide plan.
Juliette’s sister, six-year-old Sidney Playford.
Juliette went back to sleep with her mother, and Sidney’s lifeless body wasn’t found for hours.
Stephen had fled the home and tried to kill himself at a nearby national park.
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He was found by strangers and later confessed to the horrific murder of his six-year-old daughter Sidney and the attempted murder of Juliette.
As Stephen Playford serves a life sentence in jail, Juliette says she will spend a lifetime trying to figure out why this tragedy happened.
“This trauma at such a young age has significantly impacted how I am as a person and what I think of the world,” Juliette says.
After a decade of working through her grief, Juliette wants to reclaim her story.
“I can’t say if I’d be different if this didn’t happen to me, but I can’t say I’d be the same,” she says.
Juliette Playford, a survivor of domestic violence.
“I definitely struggled over the last few years, but I’m on the other side of that now.”
Just months after becoming an adult, Juliette says she wants to raise her voice for children affected by domestic violence.
“Somebody who’s willing to speak out and willing to tell their story, I think is really incredible and really impactful. So I want to be that person,” Juliette says.
This Friday, September 5, would have been her sister Sidney’s 16th birthday.
“She was very full of life,” Juliette recalls.
“She didn’t smile like normal people do. She smiles with her eyes, so even when she’s trying to be cranky, her eyes show you that she’s smiling.
“It was so lovely and she was really passionate about things.”
Described as “happy and cheeky”, Sidney studied martial arts, loved to sing and dance and told her family she would be the next Taylor Swift.
“She wanted to do everything in life. She wanted to be an actor, a singer,” Juliette said.
Juliette is planning a 10-year memorial to remember her sister at Northshore Riverside Park in Hamilton this Friday evening at 5.30pm.
“She’d be driving now, and she’d probably have a boyfriend in school, so she’s missed her whole life,” Juliette says. “We want to remember who she was.”
If you or anyone you know needs support, you can contact the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service on 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732). Contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue. SANE phone and digital support services can be accessed at sane.org. In the event of an emergency, dial Triple Zero (000).
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