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| ‘Gutted’ father of girl killed in Bribie Island shark attack hopes tragedy won’t stop people enjoying beach | ‘Gutted’ father of girl killed in Bribie Island shark attack hopes tragedy won’t stop people enjoying beach |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Charlize Zmuda, 17, was bitten while swimming off Woorim beach, north of Brisbane, on Monday | 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. | 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. | 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. | 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. | 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. | “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.” | “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. | 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. | 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. | 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”. | 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.” | “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. | It is the second fatal shark attack in Queensland this summer, with 40-year-old chaplain Luke Walford killed on 29 December. |
| University of the Sunshine Coast shark ecologist Bonnie Holmes said it wasn’t yet clear what kind of animal had carried out the attack, but it was most likely a bull shark. | |
| A university bull shark tagging program has tagged 100 sharks in the area in the last 18 months and never picked up the same animal twice, suggesting there are “many, many more” in the area, she said. | |
| “We’re at the height of summer. And so these tropical sharks like bull sharks and tiger sharks, are very active,” Holmes said. | |
| Holmes said it was not clear why there had been so many serious attacks this season, though there isn’t evidence to blame increased population. | |
| She said she would be happy to swim at Woorim beach this afternoon. | |
| “Yes, absolutely. It’s just about having a healthy respect for the environment that you’re going into,” she said. | |
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| “It’s incredibly rare, and just really incredibly unlucky (to suffer a shark attack).” | |
| According to Queensland’s primary industries department, shark control measures, including drumlines and drone surveillance, are both in use at Woorim. | |
| Holmes said drum lines aren’t effective in preventing shark attacks, and hoped Queensland would follow the lead of NSW by creating an app which gives swimmers a real-time alert about the presence of a tagged shark. | |
| “People have to come first. The safety of humans always have to come before the welfare of a shark,” Premier David Crisafulli said, on Tuesday. He rejected the suggestion that drum lines don’t work. | |
| Asked if the government would consider a shark cull, he said the minister for primary industries would examine the idea, along with others, while considering a KPMG review of the state’s shark control program, completed last year. | |
| “First and foremost, we have to do everything we can to keep people safe, and that’s a non negotiable for me,” he said. | |
| 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”. | |
| The local state MP, Ariana Doolan, said she was “deeply saddened to learn of the tragic incident”. | 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. | “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.” | “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. |
| Police will prepare a report for the coroner. | Police will prepare a report for the coroner. |