EXCLUSIVE
Television presenter Erin Jayne Plummer’s three orphaned daughters said goodbye to their father without two of the most important figures in their young lives being present.
Erin’s parents, Peter and Joy Gard, went missing from Alan Plummer’s funeral at Macquarie Park Cemetery and Crematorium in Sydney’s north on Thursday.
Daily Mail Australia understands Mr and Mrs Gard’s already strained relationship with Mr Plummer ended completely after their daughter took her own life two and a half years ago.
The Gards, who are in their 70s and known to their granddaughters as ‘Poppy’ and ‘GiGi’, have since been prevented by their father from resuming close and regular contact with the girls.
Plummer was found dead at the foot of a cliff at Freshwater, on Sydney’s northern beaches, on November 10, two and a half years after his wife’s suicide.
It is believed that he had previously attempted suicide even before Erin’s tragic death.
The three Plummer daughters, ages 18, 15 and 10, each spoke at their father’s funeral, which was attended by their mother and three siblings, as well as Erin’s brother.
The Gards, who appear in numerous old photographs playing with their grandchildren in Erin’s social media posts, were not named during the 35-minute service.
The grandparents of TV presenter Erin Jayne Plummer’s three orphaned daughters were not at their father Alan’s funeral on Thursday. Peter and Joy Gard have been excluded from their granddaughter’s life. They are pictured with Alan and Erin on their wedding day.
Daily Mail Australia understands Mr and Mrs Gard’s already strained relationship with Mr Plummer ended completely when their daughter took her own life two and a half years ago. Plummer’s eldest daughter Elani is pictured outside her father’s funeral, far right.
Erin was mentioned – as ‘EJ’ – only three times: once by a representative of Mr Plummer’s family and twice by one of his closest friends.
Nothing was said about her career presenting TV advertorials, making the one-time synchronized swimming champion a familiar face in living rooms across Australia.
And if his usual megawatt grin appeared somewhere in a six-and-a-half-minute video montage that played while John Williamson’s classic True Blue and Green Day’s ubiquitous Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) played in the background, it was not maintained. outside.
Daily Mail Australia previously reported that Erin had been planning to leave her husband before his death, but repeated requests for her to move out of the family home were ignored.
During the New South Wales state coroner’s inquest, police were told the 42-year-old woman had confided in friends that she was a victim of domestic violence at the hands of her husband.
A source familiar with the family’s situation said Erin had told friends that Plummer, who worked in sales and marketing, was controlling and that she suffered mental abuse.
The source said Plummer had serious mental health problems and that some of his previous attempts to end his life had led to him spending time in psychiatric wards.
He was also dealing with long-term medical issues, including heart problems.
Daily Mail Australia previously reported that Erin had been planning to leave her husband before his death, but repeated requests for him to move out of the family home were ignored.
Doting grandfather Peter Gard poses prominently with his granddaughters in his late daughter Erin Jayne Plummer’s social media posts.
The source said Plummer, known as ‘Big Al’, had distanced himself from his wife’s friends and family after her suicide.
Court records obtained by Daily Mail Australia show Plummer took his wife’s family to the Supreme Court in February last year after learning Erin had nominated them as beneficiaries of her will.
The outcome of the court matter, which ended in January this year, remains confidential.
Since Mr. Plummer’s death, his daughters have been fostered by close friends of their parents, who have welcomed them into their homes.
The girls took turns speaking Thursday to about 200 mourners, including dozens of their schoolmates, who packed Magnolia Chapel until it overflowed.
Eldest daughter Elani directly addressed “this mental health battle that seems to affect our family” and vowed to put an end to this scourge.
She also explained how her father had tried to let her continue her childhood after losing his wife in traumatic circumstances, “when everyone else looked at me like a mother.”
Elani had turned 18 two months before her father’s death and her middle sister is staying in Queensland while she receives a sports scholarship, but it is unknown where the younger sister will now live.
Peter and Joy Gard, in their 70s and known to their granddaughters as ‘Poppy’ and ‘GiGi’, have not been allowed to resume close contact with their granddaughters.
“First of all, I wanted to say a huge thank you to the families who have taken in our three girls for the past three weeks,” Elani said. ‘We love you guys so much.’
Elani had just completed her HSC and was celebrating a friend’s 18th birthday the night before her father’s body was found.
She 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.”
Elani’s 15-year-old sister spoke directly to her father: ‘I’m still a little confused about why I’m here. The last few weeks I’ve felt like I’m still waiting to run into your arms.’
Plummer’s death came two months after he sold the family home in Freshwater, which he and Erin bought in 2002.
She had planned to move with her 10-year-old daughter to the Gold Coast to be closer to her 15-year-old daughter.
A Plummer family representative spoke on behalf of Alan’s mother Cherold, known as Chez, brothers John and Glen and his sister Cathy. Father Mick died in 2009.
Alan Plummer died last month 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.
“Chez is proud of Alan and it has been a privilege to have him in her life,” the spokesperson said.
“When Chez worried, Alan’s words were, ‘Don’t worry mom, I’ve got it covered, I’ve got a lot of good people supporting me and the girls.’
‘To everyone present, the Plummer family would like to express their deepest gratitude. Over the last month the outpouring and love has been overwhelming.
“The way they opened their homes, hugged the girls and surrounded them with love is something we will never forget.”
A GoFundMe appeal for Plummer’s daughters has raised $26,555 of a $50,000 goal. Nearly $28,000 was donated to a similar campaign after Erin’s death.
“Alan’s passing is a profound loss for everyone who knew him, and his absence is especially heartbreaking for his three beautiful daughters,” said the organizer of the latest fundraiser.
‘Tragically, this is the second devastating loss the girls have suffered, having lost their mother just two years ago.
‘Now, as they face a future without both parents, we, their community, come together to provide them with the support and stability they need.
Eldest daughter Elani spoke directly to mourners at her father’s funeral about “this battle with mental health that seems to affect our family” and said it would end now.
“We are raising funds to ensure (the children) have the resources to move forward – help with education, emotional support and a secure base as they go through this incredibly challenging time.”
Erin took her own life in May 2022 after a battle with mental health issues. His body was found at the base of Manly Cliff.
Friends said Erin had stopped being her “lively, energetic self” in the weeks before her suicide. “I wish we had found a way out,” said one.
Colleagues at Studio 10 said they would miss their “sunshine” in the studio and that the channel “lost a bit of its shine”.
Erin also appeared on TVSN, Mornings with Kerri-Anne and The Morning Show, earning the nickname ‘The Danoz Girl’ after the marketing company Danoz Direct.
She also hosted Aerobics Oz Style for six years. The aerobics television series, which aired from 1982 to 2005, had a global audience of 40 million people at its peak and was broadcast in more than 80 countries.
Ireland She was described as a “gold medal mom” to her daughters, who were “mini-me” versions of their mother.
In addition to her television career, Erin represented Australia in synchronized swimming at three world championships and won 11 national titles.
She came into the spotlight at a young age when she was scouted at Manly Beach and chosen for a tourism campaign that aired on NBC in the US as the “Face of Australia”.
The Australian Tourism Commission campaign also led to her being cast in Baywatch Australia.
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.
When Erin wasn’t in front of the camera, she did numerous voiceovers for television.