She loved her dolls and making clothes for them, the colour purple and playing netball with her friends.

The popular 10-year-old passed away suddenly on Thursday, May 29 when she suffered a cerebral haemorrhage.

Claire’s parents remember her as a normal, happy little girl who always had a smile, a hug and a kiss.

Claire liked farm life, riding bikes, going in the ute with her dad around the sheep, building cubbies, playing with her doll house, listening to music, drawing and playing sports such as netball, touch football, athletics and swimming.

Claire could adapt easily to lots of situations. She could be on the farm and fishing with the boys and then making dolls’ clothes, cooking and doing her sister’s hair.

Claire lived on the family farm at Coleambally all her life and was a member of the Coleambally netball, swimming and touch football clubs.

Claire’s tragic death on Thursday, May 29 came as a shock to the tight-knit community of Coleambally, including her school friends at St Peter’s Primary School Coleambally where she was in Year 5.

Her schoolmates formed a guard of honour at her funeral which was held on Wednesday, June 4 at St Peter’s Catholic Church Coleambally. In a touching display they released purple balloons outside the church in her memory.

Claire was the adored daughter of Barry and Heather Mannes, loving sister of Adam, Matthew, Ryan and Laura Mannes, and the darling granddaughter of Margaret and Malcolm Scott and Brian and Patricia Mannes.