a memorial service for 21-year old Sarah Kate Whiley, whose life was cut short by a shark attack over the weekend.
Whiley died Saturday, January 7, after she was savaged by a group of sharks while swimming with friends from her church group off the coast of Queensland, eyewitnesses said. Her death at Amity Point on North Stradbroke Island was the first fatality on a protected beach in Queensland in over four decades.
Elsewhere in Queensland, a 7-year-old girl died after she was stung by a box jellyfish while swimming at Umagico Beach on Cape York Peninsula on Sunday, January 8, doctors said.
She was rushed to hospital but doctors were reportedly unable to revive her. Box jellyfish, whose tentacles can grow up to 3 meters (9 feet), are common in waters off northern Australia but fatal attacks are relatively rare, experts say. Her name was not revealed and more details were not immediately available.
SIGN OF HOPE
However amid these tragedies, Whiley’s family said they saw a sign of hope as their daughter was a Christian and an active member of the Sunshine Coast Christian Fellowship, an evangelical congregation. In remarks published Monday, January 9, her mother Dorothy Whiley said Sarah was not afraid to die.
She said her husband Tony and 23-year-old daughter Sian found hope in Sarah’s faith. "She once told me she was not afraid to go when she does," Dorothy Whiley of Nambour on the Sunshine Coast told Australian media.
Dorothy Whiley described her daughter as a young woman who found strength in her Christian faith and always wanted to help others. "She was always putting other people first. We will always remember just how beautiful she was. She was caring, very caring even as a little girl."
DEATH IN HOSPITAL
Sarah Whiley died in hospital of severe injuries after the incident at Amity Point – which shares
its name with the fictional setting of the film Jaws – near North Stradbroke Island, east of the state capital Brisbane, news reports said.
A woman who helped pull Whiley from the sea was told reporters she "saw a pool of blood behind her." She said she was "yelling out to everyone because we realized it was a shark attack. As my husband was dragging her out, I went to grab her arm. Her arm wasn’t there and I grabbed her bone instead, which was horrible. It [the shark] had taken both her arms."
The severity of the injuries suggested she was attacked by a group of bull sharks known for aggressive behavior at this time of year, said Queensland Police Inspector Peter Harding. A public memorial service was to be held at the Sunshine Coast Christian Fellowship Centre at Forest Glen, at 11am local time on Friday, January 13. (With reports from Australia)
