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.
“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 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.
CEO of Surf Life Saving Queensland Dave Whimpey also spoke to the ABC at Bribie Island on Tuesday.
He said Charlize’s death has “had a huge impact on the life saving community right around Australia”.
“Of course, these incidents do happen. 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 …” he said.
“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 mayor of the City of Moreton Bay, expressed sympathy for Charlize’s family and said “it would be a difficult time for the tight knit Bribie Island community”.
Local 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 curse,” she said in a statement.
“In the meantime we ask for respect and privacy for the family during this incredibl 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.
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.
