CARMEL Russell was farewelled by mourners last week following her death aged 81 in the days before Christmas. Carmel Russell was the mother of Natalie Russell, who was killed in Frankston in 1993. Since her daughter’s death, Carmel Russell and her husband Brian have become vocal advocates for justice.
On 22 December 2024, Carmel Russell passed away surrounded by her loved ones. Her funeral was held on 2 January at St Francis Xavier Church in Frankston.
Russell had six children: Lisa, Janine, Natalie, and Damien, and two step-children with her husband Brian, Darren and Jane. Darren Russell was among the speakers at last week’s funeral. He said that his step-mother was a kind woman and an excellent judge of character. “Something that always struck me was how well Carmel could read people. It was almost supernatural – she had this deep understanding of people, knew what made them tick and understood their natures phenomenally,” he said.
Thanks in part to the hard work of Natalie Russell’s parents, legislation was passed in 2023 to keep the serial killer responsible for her death locked up for life. “Carmel was very much an ordinary woman in an ordinary family,” Darren Russell said. “In more recent years, the ordinary woman from that ordinary Frankston family once again become extraordinary, helping to lead the fight to keep the killer incarcerated.”
Carmel Russell was born on 23 July 1943. A statement sent out by the Russell family shortly after her passing read “Carmel had been unwell on and off for some time and had been in hospital in the lead-up to Christmas. She passed away peacefully, surrounded by those who loved her. Carmel is finally reunited with her beloved daughter Natalie who we are sure was there to greet her when the time came.”
The Frankston community wrapped its arms around the Russell family once again after news spread of Carmel Russell’s passing. A fundraiser for her funeral raised more than $10,000. Tributes to Russell have come from far and wide. Frankston MP Paul Edbrooke said “it was very sad to receive a message from family on Sunday that Carmel Russell had passed away. I had tears in my eyes.” “Last time I saw Carmel, we had a good chat by her bedside about delivering the justice that her family had been fighting for 30 years to achieve,” Edbrooke said. “Carmel was an amazing woman who possessed a strength, resilience and beautiful kindness I’d never seen before. Carmel had told me that she took comfort knowing that she would see Natalie again and I hope they are together right now.”
Frankston mayor Kris Bolam said “Carmel and husband Brian have been an important part of Frankston City for many years. Our community rallied around the Russells in their time of horrendous grief, and again recently in 2019 when they almost lost their home, and instead a very generous local investor extended their lease for as long as they both lived.
“Carmel and Brian always looked out for one another and the community as a whole. They have supported other families who were also victims of horrible crimes and together they vigorously fought to implement ‘Nat’s Law’ which prevents people convicted of serious crimes, including murderers and sex offenders, from making repeated parole applications.”
First published in the Frankston Times – 7 January 2025