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‘Gutted’ father of girl killed in Bribie Island shark attack hopes tragedy won’t stop people enjoying beach | |
(about 11 hours later) | |
Charlize Zmuda, 17, was bitten while swimming off Woorim beach, north of Brisbane, on Monday | |
The “gutted” father of a teenager killed in a shark attack in south-east Queensland has told media he doesn’t want the tragedy to stop people coming to the beach. | |
Charlize Zmuda, 17, was bitten by a shark on Monday at about 4.45pm while swimming off Woorim beach on Bribie Island, north of Brisbane. | |
She died of her injuries at about 5pm, according to Queensland police. | |
Charlize’s father, Steve Zmuda, said she had been a member of the Bribie Island Surf Club since she was about eight, in an interview with the ABC on Tuesday. | |
“She was a dedicated lifesaver who wanted to only do the best for our club and for all the people our community,” he said through tears. | |
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“When I got the tragic news yesterday, I was extremely gutted, but something that my wife and I want to say is we don’t want people to stop coming to the beach and enjoying our beach. It’s a big part of our lives.” | |
Founded in 1922, the Bribie Island Surf Club is one of the oldest in the country. | |
Charlize was an age manager – a person who mentors nippers as they learn lifesaving skills between the ages of five and 13. | |
The Surf Life Saving Queensland chief executive, Dave Whimpey, also spoke to the ABC at Bribie Island on Tuesday. | |
He said Charlize’s death has “had a huge impact on the lifesaving community right around Australia”. | |
“Of course, these incidents do happen,” Whimpey said. “They’re quite rare, but when it does happen to a lifesaver, a young girl that had everything to live for, doing what she loved … She was a highly skilled lifesaver, and she spent her time looking after Queenslanders.” | |
It is the second fatal shark attack in Queensland this summer, with 40-year-old chaplain Luke Walford killed on 29 December. | |
Peter Flannery, the Moreton Bay city mayor, expressed sympathy for Charlize’s family and said “it would be a difficult time for the tight-knit Bribie Island community”. | |
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The local state MP, Ariana Doolan, said she was “deeply saddened to learn of the tragic incident”. | |
“Authorities are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident and it’s important that these processes take course,” she said in a statement. | |
“In the meantime we ask for respect and privacy for the family during this incredibly difficult time.” | |
It is understood Surf Life Saving Queensland members were on duty at Woorim beach at the time of the incident and assisted paramedics. | It is understood Surf Life Saving Queensland members were on duty at Woorim beach at the time of the incident and assisted paramedics. |
According to Queensland’s primary industries department, shark control measures, including drumlines and drone surveillance, are both in use at Woorim. | |
Police will prepare a report for the coroner. | Police will prepare a report for the coroner. |