Sam Trott, the two-year-old boy who drowned in a Landsdale lake in December after wandering from his home, will be remembered with a permanent memorial at the park where he died.
The blonde-haired, blue-eyed toddler, who won the hearts of the Perth community and galvanised unprecedented public support from strangers who helped search for him, will be honoured with a lasting tribute at Warradale Park.
Wanneroo Council voted at a meeting on Tuesday night to set aside $150,000 in their 2015-2016 budget towards the project and establish a working group, which will include Sam's parents, to plan a memorial for the area. A children's playground has been mooted as one idea.
Wanneroo councillor Brett Treby, who put forward the proposal, said the council would be guided by Sam's parents in the design of the memorial, but hoped it would take the form of something that could be shared by generations of families in years to come.
"The search was unprecedented in living memory and it really was something that galvanised the community," Cr Treby told Fairfax Media on Wednesday.
"What's proposed is to build a memorial structure for young Sam because the community were looking for some way to both share in their sense of grief with the family but also show respect to Sam because there was a real affinity with Sam and the circumstances in which (he died).
"Since then, the Landsdale community has been very keen to try and do something to recognise what happened to Sam and share their grief, concern and sense of sadness with the family.
"We're going to be working with the parents to come up with a respectful and compassionate memorial that really does celebrate Sam's life."
Cr Treby said he was hopeful the tribute would provide a "long-term legacy for people, families and children... to share what Sam found in life, (perhaps) play equipment that might have some nod towards his condition – something that shines a light on Sam's circumstances and his family's circumstances as well."
Sam's father Matthew Trott said in a statement the project would serve as a positive reminder of how Sam touched the lives of many.
"The outpouring of support from the community was something that could never be imagined. A memorial will not only provide a lasting reminder of Sam, but also of the community spirit that he evoked," the statement says.
Sam's grandfather Geoff Trott told Fairfax Media the family greatly appreciated the gesture.
"We are certainly very grateful and appreciative of the memorial," Mr Trott said.
"We are very happy for it to happen and Matthew and Lyndal will be involved in the designing of it."
Sam, who had been diagnosed with autism, walked out of his Walbrook Mews home in Landsdale about 10.30am on Tuesday, December 9 after tradesmen left the front door open while working at the property.
In the wake of his disappearance, hundreds of locals from Landsdale and surrounding suburbs joined an army of police, emergency services and volunteers searching streets, parks and bushland in the hope they would find the toddler.
West Australians took to social media, posting on Facebook and Twitter to share news of the desperate hunt for Sam, in a community effort police said they had never before seen.
But despite a 24-hour search for the missing toddler and high hopes he would be found safe and well, the community was plunged into mourning when police divers plucked his body from Snake Swamp at Warradale Park – just 400 metres from the Trott family home - the following day.
Hundreds of people touched by the tragedy visited the lake leaving flowers, balloons, tributes, teddy bears and heartfelt messages for the little boy lost too soon.
