The 7 Gympie stories of the week you might have missed
Stories of triumph and unimaginable tragedy both dominated the headlines.
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As always, it was a big week in news across the Gympie region, with stories of triumph and unimaginable tragedy dominating the headlines.
In case you missed any, here are some of the biggest stories from across the week:
Teens lose fight for life after horror Wolvi crash
In news that truly rocked the community, two much-loved Gympie region teenagers lost their lives following a horror car crash at Wolvi.
On Wednesday it was revealed 18-year-old Rykah Burr died from serious injuries he suffered in the crash, after his family announced his passing on social media.
The next day news broke that fellow local teen Zac Moye passed away from his own injuries, leaving family and friends of both boys “absolutely devastated”.
We send our thoughts and best wishes to the families and loved ones of both young men.
Court rules on fate of Widgee Engineering
Widgee Engineering‘s five-and-a-half-year fight to stay at its Upper Widgee Road home of almost 30 years finally ended with the company given permission to stay by the state’s Planning and Environment court.
The ruling brings and end to a battle which the company had been engaged in since 2015, first with Gympie Regional Council and then in the courts.
Widgee Engineering owner Di Saal said on Friday that the saga cost her and husband Peter about $600,000.
‘Utterly outrageous’: Senator joins ‘Gympie Pyramid’ fight
Greens Senator Larissa Waters has expressed her concern for the future of a site known as the ‘Gympie Pyramid’ or Djaki Kundu, while taking a tour led by activists and elders.
On Thursday afternoon, Senator Waters said her intention was to lend political pressure and support locals in their attempts to protect the site from being destroyed by the Gympie bypass.
Disgraced dentist in custody over ‘degrading’ assaults
A former Gympie dentist who pleaded guilty to a raft of “violent and degrading” offences has been taken into custody to await his sentence.
Jebson John Pidgeon Herrod, 37, was led away from the dock of the Brisbane District Court on Friday after pleading guilty to 21 violent offences including sexual assault, indecent assault and assault occasioning bodily harm.
FIRST LOOK: Nolan Meats’ new $18m expansion
An $18m expansion of the Nolan Meats meat processing facility in Gympie is now complete, creating new opportunities for job seekers, producers and the export market supply chain.
Federal Wide Bay MP Llew O‘Brien said the region’s families and the economy would benefit from the improved facility for decades to come.
Strangulation could have caused mystery death of Kirra-Lea
A young Gympie mum who died with traumatic brain injuries and bruises across her body in 2014 may have died after being strangled, a court has heard.
The mysterious death of Kirra-Lea McLoughlin, 27, was examined at an inquest in the Brisbane Coroners Court during the week.
Ms McLoughlin was rushed to hospital after she was found unconscious in her home in Wolvi, near Gympie, on July 17, 2014.
Toddler bitten by dingo after wandering while parents slept
A two-year-old child was attacked by a dingo while his family slept, according to a paramedic who treated the boy at the scene.
Identified as Lee, Fraser Island‘s duty paramedic said the toddler walked outside unsupervised when the attack happened on Saturday.
Originally published as The 7 Gympie stories of the week you might have missed
‘Not appropriate’: Bleijie denounces WorkCover board deputy’s ‘slutty nurse’ post
Screenshots of questionable Facebook posts by the Jarrod Bleijie-appointed deputy chair of the WorkCover board have forced the Deputy Premier into a hasty response.
Robbery victim tortured, held captive near school, police allege
Police have charged these two men with torture and deprivation of liberty after an alleged violent home invasion at Gympie.