WARNING: This story contains distressing content and the name and image of an Aboriginal person who has passed.
The family of Kumanjayi Nungarrayi Dixon are gathering, preparing again to face her alleged killer.
Ms Dixon, an Anmatyerre woman and beloved aunty, grandmother, mum and sister, was the victim of a hit-and-run in late May of 2022.
She had caught a bus to the southeastern outskirts of Darwin, travelling to see family in Coolalinga. While walking along an unlit pathway near Stuart Highway, Ms Dixon was hit and killed.
Police allege the driver, Joshua Mason, attempted to search for her body after hitting her, but was unsuccessful. Police believe he then called his mother, Deborah, who came to help.
They also claim that the pair found Ms Dixon, put her in the ute, and drove 15 kilometres south, burying her in bushland.
It's also been suggested that they moved her body more than once.
They are facing charges including hit-and-run, destroying evidence and perverting the course of justice.
'Stand strong as one unit'
The case is set to resume in the NT Supreme Court on August 1, with Ms Dixon's family attempting to raise funds via GoFundMe so they can represent their loved one.
Newcastle-local Carol Dixon, Ms Dixon's sister (cousin), will be flying to Alice Springs to be with her family prior to the court case.
"It's going to be a time for Sorry Business with family in Alice Springs, I'll go to my aunty's and my family will all be there," she told NITV.
Carol Dixon says she wants the alleged killers to face the family in court, and hear of how her sister's death has affected them. Credit: The Point: Jodan Perry
"People got kids. We have to look after them through it too."
For Carol, having the whole family there is paramount.
"It's really important, not just our side, but her mother's side too. We're going to stand strong as one unit, and face it that way," she said.
"Especially facing them [Deborah and Josh] in court, we are going to be there because she can't be.
"I want them to have to look at our faces and see the effect they've had. It didn't just affect one person, it's an entire unit, our whole entire family."
Carol Dixon comforting Ms Dixon's sister, Salarina, as they walk together. Credit: Carol Dixon
Desperate calls for improved road safety
Ms Dixon's family have raised concerns about road safety in the Northern Territory.
Since the beginning of 2023, all four pedestrians killed in the territory have been Aboriginal people.
In 2022, all 12 pedestrian deaths were Aboriginal people.
Ms Dixon's family has never been engaged by the government in relation to improving road safety, despite their lived experience.
"There need to be more considerations for Indigenous people up there, the main transport for mob is walking," Carol explained.
"Family were telling me that the footpaths are quite a distance from the main road, so changing that, they definitely need to look into it because it's a massive problem."
Not only are the statistics a problem, but so is the rhetoric around it.
"She's gone to visit family, the assumption that because she was Aboriginal, was that she was drunk," said Carol.
"When the news went out on social media, those were the kinds of comments. Luckily, I am a strong, thick-skinned person, and I just ignore it. But I know that that isn't what happened.
"She was just walking like any other person would . . . If they didn't find her limb, she would have just been reported missing."
Police on the scene where Ms Dixon's body was found after a hit-and-run. Source: NITV / NITV
Keeping her memory alive
More than a year on from Ms Dixon's death, her family remain committed to keeping her memory alive.
"My biggest thing is just bringing her up regularly with family, and just knowing that we are there for each other. . . There are days where even just thinking about her, I cry," he said.
"She was bubbly, she had that bubbly personality. I remember, because I was fostered out as a child, I used to go back home in the holidays. She was always there. I'd always get there and she'd pop up.
"She would get word I was there, and she'd come. I always loved making it back, to come and see her.
"She was just happy, she was so happy for us to be around, and she made me happy being around her."
Janita Dixon sits at a memorial that has been set up for her mother, Kumanjayi. Source: Supplied / Supplied: Dixon family
As the court case begins, the family are working on something more permanent to remember her by.
"When I get back to Darwin, we will go there as a family," she said.
"We might get something permanent there . . . just in memory of her and so if we're ever around that area, we can go and visit and have a little prayer for her."
