Goodbye Daniel. December 19, 1989 - December, 2003. Source: The Courier-Mail
DANIEL James Morcombe was a brave boy who made his parents proud.
Today, as Bruce and Denise Morcombe lay their son to rest, they hope he is proud of them - and they want the world to remember the life he lived.
His first steps. His favourite stuffed toy, old bear. His love of all creatures great and small.
His quiet, loving nature with a little bit of mischief and a large dose of strength and determination.
These are just some of the things that set Daniel apart, making him so special to his family and friends.
SPECIAL PRESENTATION: Behind the search for Daniel Morcombe
"All of us have gained strength from Daniel," Mr Morcombe told The Courier-Mail.
"He was a loving son, trusted friend and a good kid who enjoyed life.
"I think the Australian public have taken and embraced that little boy because of his eyes and his smile. In every photo they pick up, there's that happy kid.
"They have always wondered what happened to that boy in the red T-shirt.
Bruce and Denise Morcombe in their garden at home on the Sunshine Coast.
"We are all better people for having Daniel come into our lives.
"He wasn't able to grow up into a young man but he had special qualities - he was very loyal and very loving.
"He was a cherished family member."
This week, Mrs Morcombe shared her memories of Daniel, reminiscing about his christening on a freezing winter's day in Melbourne in 1990, childhood toys and the last present he gave her before he disappeared.
"In Year 9, Daniel made a wooden box at school and gave it to me," she said.
"One day he said: 'Are you going to use it?'
"I said: 'Yes, one day I'll put some special things in it.'
"Little did I know. It's now filled with his special things."
His special things include drawings, letters and a toy motocross bike.
A look at the eight year crusade to find a missing son.
Mrs Morcombe still has Daniel's favourite stuffed toy.
"That was old bear. He loved old bear," she said.
"He was sewn and stitched and hot-glued back together. It's seen better days. The bear probably has a few stories."
In their own words, the treasured moments in Daniel's life that Bruce and Denise Morcombe most vividly remember; birth, first day at school, presents for mum, family holidays and birthday parties.
ONLY IN TODAY'S PRINT EDITION OF THE COURIER-MAIL.
Mrs Morcombe said Daniel was an affectionate son - he would pick flowers for his mum to show how much he loved her - and inseparable from twin, Bradley. They were born eight weeks premature on December 19, 1989.
"Daniel and Bradley were always together," she said. "They were a bit mischievous. Bradley was always the bigger talker. Daniel was a lot quieter and Bradley used to talk for him too.
"A couple of weeks after their first birthday they walked.
"I think Bradley walked first but they were pretty much at the same time."
Daniel also loved animals, especially his miniature horse called Bullet, and was always cradling their cats.
RED HONOUR: People attending Daniel Morcombe's public funeral service today have been urged by his family to wear a touch of red.
"When they were babies I had to shoo the cat out of their room because I was afraid he'd sleep on them," she said.
Thousands will gather on the Sunshine Coast today to celebrate Daniel's legacy and remember the short life of a boy who touched the heart of a nation, inspired a child-safety revolution and gave his parents the strength to go on. Daniel will be farewelled at Siena Catholic College, where the diligent student harboured dreams of one day becoming a vet.
Take up the Morcombe's invitation to attend Daniel's public funeral. Watch it here, streamed live from 11am local time (12pm AEDT).
The day after Daniel disappeared while waiting for a bus at Woombye nine years ago, his father made a vow.
"On the evening of Monday December 8, 2003, I silently promised to him I would never give up," Mr Morcombe said.
Today they will finally bury their boy, who was at the centre of Australia's highest-profile missing person's case, after almost a decade of searching.
"Even though we've had years and years of mental preparation, suddenly we had to go to a funeral director and have a look at a coffin and organise flowers and pick a grave plot at a cemetery," Mr Morcombe said.
"Even though we had years of knowing 'well, he isn't coming home' we had never done any of that - not one bit.
"It's horrible doing that for your own child.
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"It's still bad preparing a funeral for an elderly parent but you know that's part of life's cycle.
"For a kid it's not the way it should be."
Beneath the Morcombes' bravery and behind their child-safety crusade remains their private pain.
Mr Morcombe urged others not to be sad about what was undoubtedly for them the saddest homecoming.
He has tried to remain positive as he wrote a eulogy and steeled himself to deliver it at a service that will be beamed into living rooms around the country.
"I have probably been a better father to Daniel in the last nine years than I was in his first 14," he said.
"It is a sad reflection but I, like most fathers, wish I had spent more one-on-one time with him and cherished those moments.
"This has been a huge motivating factor in my relentless search for the truth."
GALLERY: The Daniel Morcombe story
While Mr Morcombe appears stoic, dignified and patient, Mrs Morcombe's eyes reflect her perpetual torment.
The past 12 months have delivered her the answers she feared. She will no longer search for Daniel's face in the crowd.
"I've been pretty sad all week," she said.
"It's something that we wanted but not something you look forward to.
"I'm not looking forward to walking into that church and seeing the casket there. When they carry Daniel out - that's going to be the saddest part."
Last week Daniel was brought home to the Sunshine Coast after his family was granted permission to receive his remains.
The significant development followed months of legal wrangling over which authority had the final say on whether Daniel's remains could be released.
Brett Peter Cowan, 43, has been charged with child stealing, deprivation of liberty, indecent treatment, murder and interfering with a corpse.
His committal hearing was yesterday adjourned until February.
His lawyers said he intended to plead not guilty to all charges.
EDITORIAL: Morcombes in our thoughts
The Morcombes, whose lives were irrevocably changed on this day nine years ago, said their blue-eyed boy with the beautiful smile would not be forgotten.
"We've got to look at some positives going forward and the foundation is Daniel's legacy," Mr Morcombe said.
They said they could at least take comfort from knowing their son would now, finally, rest in peace.
Take up the Morcombe's invitation to attend Daniel's public funeral. Watch it here, streamed live from 11am local time (12pm AEDT).
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