Hundreds of mourners gathered at dusk under the fig tree canopy of Sydney's Hyde Park to bid farewell to Bikram Lama, a 32-year-old homeless man from Nepal who died alone and lay undiscovered for up to a week. The crowd held electric candles in blue, red, white and purple, creating a somber tribute near St James station.
A Life Unseen
Erin Longbottom, a homelessness support worker and nursing unit manager at St Vincent's homeless health service, addressed the vigil. "No one should be left to die in the middle of Sydney, alone and unseen," she said. Longbottom described Lama as "a young man who came here with hope, for study, for opportunity, and for a future. A person who lived, and struggled, and died unseen."
Joe Trueman, a former rough sleeper and friend, played Phil Collins' "Another Day in Paradise" on guitar in tribute. The vigil also featured a Buddhist prayer wheel, reflecting Lama's cultural heritage.
Systemic Failures
St Vincent's Health had been attempting to assist Lama before his death, but his non-resident status made it nearly impossible for him to escape homelessness. Lama came to Australia from Nepal in 2013 to study computer science. His body was found by station staff, decomposed, and his elderly mother had to travel from a remote village to Kathmandu to provide a DNA sample for identification. The coroner's court is still awaiting formal identification, causing distress for the Australian-Nepalese community.
Bam Bunyalak, who arrived from Thailand on a student visa and experienced homelessness herself, spoke at the vigil. She described being a non-resident as a "disease with many symptoms," including homelessness and mental health struggles. "Bikram Lama deserved a better life, but now he is gone. He did not get the chance to say goodbye to his family," she said. "Every single life matters, regardless of race, gender identity, background or residency."
Call for Inquest
Independent state MP Alex Greenwich attended the vigil and revealed he had met with Premier Chris Minns and written to Attorney General Michael Daley, urging an inquest into potential policy failings. "I'm concerned that at a state and federal level, we have policies that discriminate against rough sleepers who are non-residents," Greenwich said. He noted that Lama died only 200 metres from NSW Parliament, where policies may have contributed to his death.
Lama's death is one of three recent cases that have shocked Australia. In recent weeks, a newborn baby died during birth at a homeless camp in Wagga Beach, and a young Indigenous mother died of sepsis in Western Australia after being evicted from public housing. Experts and homelessness groups say these deaths must be a watershed moment.
Longbottom concluded: "No one should die alone. No one should die invisible. And no one should die because they are homeless. Homelessness is solvable – if we as a society choose to solve it."
