THE short life of a newborn baby found buried in the Maroubra sand dunes has been commemorated over one year after her tragic death.

It is twelve months to the day since the little girl’s unidentified body was laid to rest after being discovered in a shallow grave near the beach.

Her biological mother has never been found but Maroubra locals Bill Green and Filomena D’Alessandro-Green adopted her as their own and named her Lily Grace.

media_camera Bronwyn Lorenc and baby William lay flowers at Lily Grace’s grave today. Picture: Bill Hearne

media_camera Ex-NSW Premier Kristina Keneally joined Filomena D’Alessandro-Green at service. Picture: Bill Hearne

media_camera Moving... Gravesite of Lily Grace in Matraville. Picture: Bill Hearne

Today, she and the many abandoned and unidentified children across the country were remembered at the inaugural Baby Lily Grace Awareness Day pre-dawn service.

The couple were joined by politicians, law enforcement officers and members of the community at the Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park to mourn and raise awareness into child abandonment.

In an emotional address inside a packed chapel, Ms D’Alessandro-Green spoke to Lily Grace’s mother and asked for a greater understanding of the plight of troubled parents.

“This child who almost went unnoticed now means so many things to so many different people,” she said.

“Initially I felt disbelief and disgust but this young woman is living in turmoil. She may not be in jail but she will never walk free.”

“Are you here? How desperate were you to do what you did?”

“Who are we to judge you,” she said.

media_camera A tribute left on South Maroubra beach where Lily Grace was found. Picture: John Appleyard

media_camera A toy and flowers left near shallow grave where Lily Grace was found. Picture: John Appleyard

Former NSW Premier Kristina Keneally was also in attendance and also addressed the crowd, calling for legislators to give more thought to children’s best interests.

“Imagine how society would be if we put our children at the centre of our decision making,” she said.

“Lily Grace’s death was a tragedy for our community ... But we can be grateful for what her life and death gave us.”

Coronial advocate Bronwyn Lorenc was intimately connected with Lily Grace and was heavily pregnant at the time she first took up the case.

Sitting in the front row of the chapel with her newborn son William, Ms Lorenc said the issue of child abandonment hit close to home.

“It’s a case that touched me quite a lot,” she said.

“I was heavily pregnant at the time so it was something very close to me.”

media_camera Filomena D'Alessandro at the public funeral for Lily Grace.

media_camera Filomena D'Alessandro releases butterflies in remembrance of Lily Grace.

“The biggest success is seeing the community effort gather behind this cause and the legacy Lily Grace left behind,” she said.

One legacy the congregation hopes to achieve is the introduction of baby boxes and safe haven laws to allow parents who feel forced to give up their babies to do so safely.

Deputy State Coroner Hugh Dillion recommended the reforms following a coronial inquest in February.

Speaking after today’s service Coroner Dillion emphasised the importance of the proposed measures.

“We don’t speak a lot about the sadness and grief of the parents. We’re very quick to condemn but nobody abandons their baby if they’re not abandoned themselves,” he said.

“Providing support to people who need it is critical,” he said.

Many wiped away tears during the service as they reflected on the suffering of those children and the ongoing torment of their parents before laying a rose at Lily Grace’s gravesite in the Garden of Innocence.