When a massive tsunami hit Khao Lak, Thailand 20 years ago, Deborah Garlick and her boyfriend were there on vacation. Unfortunately, approximately 228,000 people died in the worst natural disaster of the century, Deborah among them. Although it would take four months for it to be confirmed, her parents, Margaret and Bryson, knew within 24 hours of the tsunami hitting that Deborah had not survived.
Despite their terrible loss, Deborah’s parents consider themselves among the luckier ones, thanks to an undeveloped camera film recovered by officials in Thailand and sent back to them. This film allowed them to retrace the 31-year-old woman’s final steps. Margaret and Bryson used the photos to raise money for six fishing boats, one of which now has Deborah’s name inscribed on it.
Deborah had been especially close to her parents as an only child, calling them most days, and speaking to them on Christmas Day ahead of her trip to the Phi Phi islands. The day before the tsunami, she was photographed on the beach there in a bikini, surrounded by other holidaymakers. Deborah’s parents were pleased to find that the undeveloped photos on her last film were undamaged by the water.
The tsunami, triggered by a massive earthquake, was later reported to have taken its heaviest toll on Khao Lak. Deborah’s death was confirmed in April 2005 when her body was identified. Det Insp David Llewellin, from West Mercia Police, arrived in Thailand shortly after the disaster to help identify victims, and led an operation that saved many families from experiencing the agony of not knowing, but that left him with PTSD.
Deborah Garlick’s parents continue to be haunted by her loss, and Christmas is a particularly difficult time. On the anniversary of her daughter’s death, Margaret Garlick visits her grave, and she and her husband light a candle at the local church. But as Bryson Garlick says, “We had the best of her and you can’t take this away.
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