EXCLUSIVE
The heartbroken eldest daughter of shopping channel TV presenter Erin Jayne Plummer has paid a special tribute to her late father as she takes the first tentative steps to rebuild her shattered life.
Alan Plummer died in October, two years after his wife took her own life, leaving their three daughters, aged 18, 15 and 10, to face the rest of their lives as orphans.
Elani Plummer, 18, now the sole guardian of her younger sisters, shared a loving photo with her father on what would have been his 50th birthday on December 28.
“Happy birthday dad, forever and always your girl,” he captioned the photo.
Plummer was found dead in Freshwater on Sydney’s northern beaches on November 10 after failing to meet a friend for a morning swim.
The friend called the police to request a welfare check and officers arrived at the Plummer family home in the same suburb to inform Elani that her father was missing.
His body was found an hour later by a lifeguard at the foot of a cliff on Freshwater beach.
His death came two years after his wife Erin took her own life in May 2022 following a battle with mental health issues. His body was found at the base of a Manly cliff.
Elani Plummer, daughter of TV presenter Erin Jayne Plummer, remembered her father Alan on her birthday as she takes on parental responsibility for her siblings.
Teenager Elani has shared special moments on Freshwater Cliff near the family home.
The three little daughters said final goodbye to their late father, two years after their mother took her own life. The eldest daughter, Elani, appears on the far right.
Elani Plummer explained how her father had tried to let her continue her childhood after losing his wife, “when everyone else looked at me like a mother.” Erin Jayne and Alan Plummer pictured on their wedding day
At her father’s funeral, Elani acknowledged the tremendous responsibility that now fell to her as the eldest of the three sisters, but thanked him for allowing her time to grow.
“It made me feel like a little girl when everyone else saw me as a mother or my sisters’ keeper,” she told an overflow crowd at Magnolia Chapel North Ryde.
“And I wish I didn’t have to give up that feeling of freedom and childhood, but ultimately he’s the only person I would give it up for.”
Plummer’s death came two months after he sold the family home in Freshwater, which he and Erin bought in 2002.
Elani had just completed her HSC and was celebrating a friend’s 18th birthday the night before her father’s body was found.
Plummer had planned to move with her 10-year-old daughter to Queensland to be closer to her 15-year-old son, who is studying there on a sports scholarship.
He reportedly bought an apartment for Elani to stay on the northern beaches with her friends.
Freshwater Beach had been Erin’s favorite coastal spot, and Elani often spends time on the cliffs to remember her parents sharing the moment on their social media.
Alan Plummer died in November amid his own battle with mental health issues, leaving his daughters, ages 18, 15 and 10, to face the rest of their lives as orphans. The middle daughter appears in the photo.
Since Mr. Plummer’s death, his daughters have been embraced by close friends of their parents, who have lovingly embraced the sisters and welcomed them into their homes.
A GoFundMe appeal for Plummer’s daughters has raised $40,970 of a $50,000 goal. Plummer is pictured with her three daughters.
The chapel at Macquarie Park Cemetery and Crematorium was packed with mourners at Alan Plummer’s funeral.
It is understood that her 15-year-old sister will continue her interstate scholarship and return home for the school holidays, while Elani will have full-time responsibility for her 10-year-old sister.
At the funeral, Elani directly addressed “this battle with mental health that seems to affect our family,” a tight-knit clan called “The Plum Squad.”
During her eulogy, she acknowledged the support she and her sisters had received since the death of their father, widely known as ‘Big Al.’
“First of all, I wanted to say a huge thank you to the families who have taken in our three girls for the last three weeks,” she said. ‘We love you guys so much.’
Elani said she and her father had made a promise to be each other’s best friends forever while walking on Freshwater Beach when she was 10 years old.
“And nothing our family has been through in the last two years could have prepared me for losing my best friend,” he said.
Elani said her father had continued to raise “three of the most competitive girls you’ll ever meet” in her mother’s absence.
“And we promise to win this battle against the mental health that seems to affect our family,” he said.
“And with patience and kindness, I promise it all ends here.”
TO GoFundMe The appeal for the Plummer daughters has raised $40,970 of a goal of $50,000.
An update on progress posted Dec. 23 thanked contributors.
‘Everyone, thank you very much for your generosity. “It’s amazing to see so many people come to the aid of three beautiful girls and support them as they look to define their future,” wrote organizer J Casey.
“I know you are all grateful and amazed by the generosity you have shown and the outpouring of support is testament to how many have shown their willingness to stand up and support those who need help in times like this.”
In addition to her television career, Erin was an accomplished synchronized swimmer who represented Australia at three world championships and won 11 national titles.
But it was her advertising roles that Erin was best known for. Over the years, he designed everything from massage chairs and exercise programs to slimming jeans and steam mops.