My Story

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1985 to 2003
aged: 17
From: Brent Knoll


Catrine Basil was born on the 26th of October 1985 in an orphanage in Guatemala. She was adopted by Malin Basil, a Swedish artist. Catrine lived with her mother Malin and older sister Eleonore in Washington D.C until she was 2. They then moved to London where Catrine went to Square School and later on Pembridge Hall.
The family remained close to their Swedish family and have a holiday home in Greece where they go every year.
When Catrine was seven the family moved to Brent knoll, where Catrine attended a nearby Quaker school called Sidcot. Catrine made lots of friends at Sidcot but after her GCSE's she wanted a change. For her AS levels she went to Caterham in Surrey, Catrine completed one year at Caterham where she got straight A's!!! Catrine planned to continue her A levels back at Sidcot school to be close to her family and friends. Sadly this never happened.

July 19th 2003

Catrine was staying at the family's holiday home on the island of Paros in Greece. She had been going there her entire life and has many friends and family on the island.
Catrine, her cousin and one of her closest friends had gone out into the nearby town to meet up with friends. The rule was that they were allowed out if they promised to stay together, sadly this rule was broken.

Early in the morning on the 19th of July Catrine and her friends were still in town. Catrine wanted to go back to her holiday home because she was tired. Her friends wanted to wait for their boyfriends so Catrine went on ahead without them. She walked along the coastal path (one she had been on countless times) by her home when she fell . We still don't know how she fell. She hit her head on the way down and was knocked unconscious. She landed with her neck and upwards in the water. The cause of death was drowning. Her friends walked past but didn't notice her. By the time she was found she was already dead. She was literally seconds from her house, her mother had warned the local council about the path as it was being eroded by the sea. Catrine was 17 when she died. She had just become an aunt for the first time four days before the accident.


Taken from Catrine Basil by Theresa Newport (A close friend of Catrine)-
From an early age it was clear that Catrine was a gifted child. It seemed that she was naturally good at just about everything. She won athletic and swimming awards and gained colours (Sidcot School sports award) for her achievements in the many sports teams she was a member of. She was also a very talented artist and some of her work is still on display at Sidcot School.
Catrine was also very interested in drama, she had a passion for fim and was a brilliant and miving actress herself. Her friends have many fond memories of her appearences in school productions. She was also an outstanding musician and pianist, with an exceptional talent for compsition.
Catrine was a beautiful and vibrant person who instantly charmed everyone she met. She was enthusiastic about life and could always make her friends and family laugh. She was also a very insightful person, and her contemplative nature shines through both in her artwork and her compostions. She was always thinking of others and frequently helped her mother organising charitable events for "War Child". Catrine was planning to return to the country of her birth, Guatemala, during her gap year, and work as a volunteer in an orphanage there.

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