Father of shark victim digs in to help Bribie Island brace for cyclone

A month after 17-year-old Charlize Zmuda was killed in a shark attack off Bribie Island, the teen’s father, Stephen, has extended his support to the community, helping locals prepare for Tropical Cyclone Alfred as it moves towards land.

Armed with a shovel on Tuesday, Zmuda joined other volunteers filling sandbags and ferrying them to retirement villages and the local caravan park.

“After all the tragedy we’ve had here,” he said, referring to his daughter’s death, “the community is rallying together yet again.”

Local father and surf lifesaver Stephen Zmuda (right) has stepped up to support the community that rallied around him a month ago. Credit: Dan Peled

Charlize was an active surf lifesaving volunteer, who had been involved in the Bribie Island Surf Club since she was eight.

Zmuda, the club’s junior activities officer, has continued to be involved in events since her passing.

“I rang our club president, Jeff Butler, yesterday and told him I wanted to do something,” Zmuda said, “because that’s what Charlize always wanted to do, she wanted to help people.”

While the past four weeks had been extremely difficult for the family, Zmuda said they had been overwhelmed by support from the local community, which he wanted to return as the region prepared for Cyclone Alfred.

“The community here are just amazing,” Zmuda said. “On days like today, I just want to help people.”

According to the Bureau of Meteorology, all modelling shows Tropical Cyclone Alfred on track to hit south-east Queensland, bringing high winds and a strong chance of flooding, particularly in low-lying coastal areas.

Sandbagging locations were opened on Monday, with extra sites set up around Brisbane to help residents prepare.

Stephen Zmuda helps locals because he says that’s what his daughter, Charlize, would have wanted to do. Credit: Dan Peled

Aaron Purchase, the regional manager of Surf Life Saving Sunshine Coast, said Bribie Island had already copped a battering, with high tides and powerful swells since Saturday causing extensive coastal erosion.

“The forecast is for that to continue, and for it to get worse,” Purchase said.

Bribie Island business owner Robbie Huestis was taking steps to prepare her shop – Robbie’s Crystal Cauldron – on Tuesday, sandbagging the front, taping windows, and putting stock away.

“They’re predicting 100km/h winds down here, so we’re gonna cop the full brunt,” she said.

Robbie Huestis is not taking any chances as she prepares her shop, Robbie’s Crystal Cauldron, for Cyclone Alfred.Credit: Dan Peled

As if being a crystal shop in the path of a cyclone wasn’t enough of a risk, Huestis said the street it was on was prone to flooding whenever there was a high tide.

“We’re having abnormally high tides at the moment, which doesn’t help our cause,” she said.

“With heavy rain on top of that … there’s just nowhere for the water to go, it just builds up on the streets.”

In a statement on Tuesday morning, City of Moreton Bay Council urged residents to take warnings seriously and prepare.

“I am aware that many in the community are anxious, and my advice to our residents is to use this time to prepare their homes,” Mayor Peter Flannery said.

“We will continue to keep people informed and share information as soon as it comes to hand.

“I have no doubt, as a community, we will get through whatever Tropical Cyclone Alfred brings.”

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