Tennis coach Alicia Celaya Jauregui was never late to work.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
That is why her colleague and friend, Fernando Garcia, had a sinking feeling when he arrived at Turner Primary School at 2.50pm on Wednesday.
Ms Celaya Jauregui - who "was always on time, always earlier than me" - was not there.
She did not answer calls and ignored texts.
Soon, Mr Garcia would be told his vibrant, energetic friend had died riding her bike on Lady Denman Drive.
"I was hysterical in the middle of the class. I just burst into tears," he said.
Police said Ms Celaya Jauregui was hit by a BMW. They believe the car was speeding, and on the wrong side of the road.
Her car had recently broken down.
She was only riding her bike to work temporarily, friends said.
They knew each other for two months, but Mr Garcia, originally from Argentina, said Ms Celaya Jauregui was like a sister.
"I miss my family and my sister and she came to this place like a sister," he said.
"She was very full of life. There is no other definition for her."
The night before, Mr Garcia gave his friend a uniform and new tennis shoes - "she was so happy".
The pair bonded over their shared South American heritage.
Ms Celaya Jauregui is from Uruguay, and they spoke to each other in Spanish.
She connected with Mr Garcia's wife, met his friends.
A former primary school physical education teacher, Ms Celaya Jauregui was a sport fanatic.
She left a job in a casino on the Gold Coast to pursue her dream of being a tennis coach.
"She was on her own, trying to follow her dream, looking for a change," Mr Garcia said.
"Every single day, no matter what, she was smiling with [a] positive and pure heart."
Ms Celaya Jauregui loved Canberra and was happy, friends said.
The capital is safe, especially compared to South America, Mr Garcia said.
It seemed like bad things didn't happen here.
One day on, he struggled to comprehend his friend's death.
"When it happens to you, you just feel like it's a nightmare. You feel like your world is falling apart," Mr Garcia said.
"This person has driven and killed somebody, and that person went back home [to sleep at his home at night]. This doesn't make any sense."
Ms Celaya Jauregui taught students at several schools.
"All the kids, they just love her, they just keep asking about her. She would make everything so fun, so creative," Mr Garcia said.
"I have to go next week, and the kids are going to ask me, 'Where is Alicia'? I don't know what to say."
Friends believe Ms Celaya Jauregui left South America about four or five years ago and lived in New Zealand before Australia.
When Mr Garcia spoke to police, he offered to contact her family and friends.
He called Ms Celaya Jauregui's best friend, who lives on the Gold Coast.
They spent years travelling together.
READ MORE:
"I thought she was going to die over the phone," he said.
"I could feel so much pain on the other side of the phone."
The best friend arrived in Canberra on Thursday. She cannot speak to media because she won't stop crying, Mr Garcia said.
"But we agree. [Ms Celaya Jauregui] was an amazing person," he said.
Lanie Tindale
I am City reporter at The Canberra Times. I previously covered health for the masthead, and was a trainee before that. I have written on courts, federal politics, breaking news, features and opinion. lanie.tindale@canberratimes.com.au.
I am City reporter at The Canberra Times. I previously covered health for the masthead, and was a trainee before that. I have written on courts, federal politics, breaking news, features and opinion. lanie.tindale@canberratimes.com.au.
