Bridie Lee was deeply loved by her family and more: (clockwise from top left), Bridie, Bridie with her brother David and sister Amy, and Bridie with her best-friend/housemate Alice and Alice’s dog Squirrel. Photos: Supplied by family.
Bridie Lee was her younger sister’s best-friend from almost the moment she was born.
The pair came from a very tight family, but were different while growing up in Western Australia. Amy Lee, two years younger, remembers being shy, while Bridie was the one who would confidently strike up a conversation with anybody.
“She taught me to be brave,” Amy said.
“She always had me under her wing and was always looking after me.
“I think if I didn’t have her protection and didn’t have her looking after me, then I wouldn’t have come out of my shell.”
Their close relationship continued through the years even though they lived on opposite sides of the world – Bridie moved to work in Canberra in 2022 while Amy relocated to the United Kingdom.
Due to the time difference between continents, the sisters would leave each other voice message recordings to keep in contact. Bridie would always finish off her messages by telling her sister how much she loved her and how proud she was of her.
“I’m really glad we did that now, because I’ve got all these recordings of her voice,” Amy told Region in an emotional call this week.
Bridie and four other cyclists were riding on Gungahlin Drive in northern Canberra after 6 am on 27 August 2026 when a car crashed into their group.
The 32-year-old died at the scene from her injuries. Two male cyclists were taken to hospital and while a 34-year-old man was soon released, the tragedy continued when a 39-year-old man died in hospital seven days later.
On Friday (4 September), an ACT Policing spokesperson said the investigation into the double-fatal crash was continuing and the 40-year-old female driver of the car was assisting police with their inquiries.
All of the cyclists had been riding as part of the Canberra Bilbys Triathlon Club’s regular cycling group.
The impact of Bridie’s death has reverberated around the ACT community, where she was a popular colleague at the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and a beloved member of the triathlon club. But back in Western Australia is her grieving family, suffering a loss beyond words.
“It’s hard seeing Mum and Dad. ‘Heartbroken’ doesn’t even cover it,” Amy said.
“I feel awful myself, but it’s even more awful to see my family in such pain.
“But genuinely, we find it really, really comforting to hear from so many people, telling us such lovely stories about her.”
Bridie Lee (centre) with her parents John and Carolyn at her graduation from Curtin University. Photo: Supplied by family.
Amy said the number one thing to know about her sister was that she was really funny.
“Ever since she was little, she was always cracking jokes, making bad puns and trying to make others around her laugh,” she said.
Bridie was always so open and friendly, and would chat to everybody.
“I was always jealous of how she made friends so easily. It was just natural for her, she was someone who people were drawn to,” Amy said.
She finished her Honours in biomedical sciences and her Masters in epidemiology and statistics, which helped satisfy her love of learning. She had an incredible amount of knowledge about many subjects.
“She was the sort of person who would just sit down and watch random documentaries about random stuff,” Amy said.
Bridie moved away from everyone she knew to join a graduate program at the ABS in Canberra. But she stayed at the bureau once she finished, as she loved her work.
“I’m so proud that she was always so kind, not only to other people, but to animals,” Amy said.
“She was known around the ABS as the person who would rescue little hurt birds on the side of the road.”
She was also always busy, always trying new activities. She practiced archery, become involved with gridiron and found a passion for triathlons.
“Anything she wanted to do, she would go out and try it,” Amy said.
“I don’t think she would have any regrets, because she was somebody who appreciated life and lived life to the fullest.”
Sisters Bridie and Amy Lee (left), as well as pictured at a Matildas match with Bridie’s best-friend and housemate Alice. Photos: Supplied by family.
Region asked Amy how her family wanted the community to remember her sister.
“We just want her to be remembered how everybody remembered her, as a really kind, beautiful soul, and as the jokester who wanted to make everybody laugh,” she said.
Seeing as Bridie was such a jokester, what was her favourite joke?
A really bad one she would tell all the time, Amy laughed.
“What do you call a cheese that isn’t yours? Nacho cheese,” Bridie would say.