Neighbours open up on woman killed in ceiling collapse

Police are investigating the circumstances around the sudden death of a Burnett woman after a freak home incident this week. Neighbours have revealed the kind of person she was and what they saw and heard that day.

A bunch of flowers and a card sit outside a locked gate at the front driveway of a South Burnett home where a 64-year-old woman tragically died after a ceiling collapsed on her on Monday.

The tragedy struck a few months after East Nanango mother and hobby farmer Rita Oliver survived a triple heart attack and was recovering at her South Kerton Road home.

On Wednesday the tidy, fenced and gated property, bordered by tall bamboo hiding a large pond with a garden full of pathways and lights, appeared like a tropical paradise.

It was here that Ms Oliver and her partner, John Crisafulli, shared the last decade of life together.

Rita Oliver tragically died after her ceiling collapsed on her on September 4, 2023. Picture: Christine Schindler

The couple met about 15 years ago and split their time between Nanango and New Zealand, where Ms Oliver was born.

“We went back there so she could finish her psychology degree because she wanted to help people,” Mr Crisafulli said on Wednesday, September 6.

“But Rita loved our beautiful pocket of Nanango and she raised four children in town.

“Rita was a lovely, wonderful person.

“When someone was having an emotional crisis she was very good at pulling them back. She touched a lot of people.”

He said that if anyone was doing it tough, they knew Rita Oliver would see them through a crisis.

The house in East Nanango where a 64-year-old Rita Oliver suddenly died after her ceiling collapsed on her on September 4, 2023. Picture: Christine Schindler

Meg Farrell, who lives next door on the small, single lane cul-de-sac road, said her partner was home when the accident happened and didn’t even hear the crash of the roof collapsing.

“It was very quick,” she said.

“He just realised what happened when the sirens and ambulances were outside the house.”

Sadly, Ms Oliver suffered critical injuries and died at the scene.

Ms Farrell said Ms Oliver was a lovely neighbour and had brought over a bottle of red wine as a thank you gift after she and her partner helped put a fire out in Ms Oliver’s house a couple of years ago.

Apart from that, the neighbours mostly kept to themselves.

She humorously talked about Ms Oliver’s two goats, who on occasion would escape into her backyard.

A couple of other neighbours who had not met her before fondly mentioned hearing the goats from time to time.

It is understood a renovated ceiling collapsed on Ms Oliver.

Mr Crisafulli said the do-it-yourself renovations predated their purchase of the lowset, blue and white house.

Police are investigating further into Ms Oliver’s sudden death and will prepare a report for the state coroner.

Possible questions remain about the safety and legality of the ceiling renovations.

Originally published as Neighbours open up on woman killed in ceiling collapse