Jayden Fuller, Olyvia Cowley, Ian Gal, Dr Elizabeth Lloyd: 17 Gold Coast stories that broke our hearts in 2022
As we look forward to another year, we cannot forgot those we lost and the tragedies we faced. Read the headlines that broke our hearts.
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Loss, tragedy and heartbreak are all unavoidable facets of life - but that doesn’t make them any easier to come to terms with.
As we look forward to another year, we cannot forgot those we lost and the tragedies we faced.
These are 17 Gold Coast stories that broke our hearts in 2022.
January 21: Tearful farewell to ‘Queen of Florida Gardens’
A community identity dubbed the “Queen of Florida Gardens” was farewelled during a special gathering.
Betty Bromley died from natural causes in January, having lived a full life centred around family, friends and social outings.
The 91-year-old’s caring and sociable nature made her a well-known member of the Florida Gardens community, which is nestled between Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach.
February 15: ‘Kind’ Coast disability worker remembered following M1 fatal
A disability support worker killed in a motorcycle crash was remembered as a “kind man”.
Dave Fisher, 53, was a motorcycle lover who worked for In-Home Care and Supported Living for people with disabilities.
February 24: Tragic hunch in Southport doctor’s drowning death
A close friend of a Southport doctor who died while trying to rescue a fisherman says she had a bad feeling he was in danger when news broke of a missing man.
She said no one close to Dr Luqman Jubair was surprised to learn he had sacrificed his life to save another.
Family, friends and the Islamic community farewelled the cancer researcher during a traditional funeral at the Gold Coast Mosque.
March 9: Drowning tragedy ‘never should have happened’
An engineer was fondly remembered by friends as “an excellent fast bowler” and for his “fun, joyous nature” after his tragic swimming pool death.
But the death never should have happened, according to a neighbour.
Sai Surya Tej Rachakonda was pulled unconscious from the bottom of a pool at the Condor Ocean View Apartments in Surfers Paradise.
March 31: Community’s tearful farewell to beloved Burleigh window washer
A squeegee and spray bottle sat next to the coffin of a beloved Burleigh window washer as the community celebrated his colourful life and said a tearful goodbye.
Family and friends gathered at Nerang Uniting Church in March for the funeral of Gold Coast icon Ian Gal.
The local legend gained widespread community adoration after spending many years washing residents’ cars at the Burleigh Waters and Bermuda St intersection.
April 13: Golf course drowning tragedy
An AFL-mad larrikin who drowned at a Gold Coast golf course watched the Suns’ upset win over Carlton at Metricon Stadium just hours before his death.
Talented sportsman Nicholas Hunter, 23, was having a post-match celebration with mates before he took a “little risk” that ended in tragedy, according to a devastated friend.
June 26: ‘Beautiful soul’: $20k raised for Gold Coast drowning victim
Family and friends paid tribute to a “beautiful soul” and “gorgeous girl” following her tragic death on the Gold Coast.
Lizzie Kerry drowned near the Esplanade at Elkhorn Ave, Surfers Paradise, about 4am on May 21.
Emergency services performed CPR on Ms Kerry after she was pulled from the water, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
August 23: ‘Beautiful’ young mum’s tragic death
A young Gold Coast mum who died six weeks after the birth of her baby girl gave a “second chance” to five strangers through organ donation.
The community rallied around the Sime family as they struggled to come to terms with their tragic loss, raising $35,000 for them in just five days.
Shannon Sime, 29, died from a stroke on August 8 – six weeks after she gave birth to a girl.
August 26: Loss of daughter in Bali ‘hard to fathom’ - mother
The mother of a young woman who suffered an “unexpected” death in Bali has paid tribute, saying her daughter was “someone who lights up the world” and the loss is “hard to fathom”. Olyvia Cowley, a Palm Beach Currumbin High graduate, passed away in Bali in August. Mother Christina Blakelock shared the lyrics to You Are the Reason by Calum Scott in online tributes to her daughter: “This picture is my world … since I carried them inside me I felt every inch of overwhelm and love. From 18 I experienced the overwhelm of a mother’s love.”
September 16: ‘No one knew they had a little girl’: 12yo’s death rocks neighbours
A neighbour of a little girl whose death sparked a police investigation said she had “never seen” the 12-year-old in her two years of living there.
Police launched a fresh public appeal in September as part of their ongoing investigation into the death of Tiffani Scholten, who had a rare genetic disorder.
On April 18, police were called to a Bellagio Cres residence in Coomera at 8pm after the little girl was found unresponsive.
September 20: Tributes for teen ‘taken too soon’
The grieving parents of an 18-year-old killed in a horror crash on the Gold Coast said they “never expected anything like this to happen to our baby boy”.
Alex Edwards died when he lost control of his Toyota Yaris, slamming into a tree.
He died at the scene.
October 14: Tributes to 16yo killed in freak accident
Heartfelt tributes were paid to a 16-year-old Upper Coomera boy who lost his life in a workplace accident.
Jayden Fuller was described as an “amazing”, “incredibly funny” young man, who always made his mum and sister laugh.
The Upper Coomera State College student died when he was struck by a roller when working on a driveway at an Alberton property
October 20: Tributes flood in after QRL player found dead
Hearts broke after a former Gold Coast rugby league player and Redcliffe Dolphins star was found dead at a nightclub overseas.
Liam Hampson, 24, went missing while he was on a trip in Spain and 30 hours later police reported he was found dead in a nightclub.
November 3: Flood of tributes for ‘beautiful woman’ killed in crash
Tributes poured in for a “beautiful” Banora Point woman killed in a ute rollover at a rural Gold Coast suburb.
A red Mitsubishi Triton was travelling towards the intersection of Beaudesert Nerang Rd and Clagiraba Rd at Clagiraba “before the vehicle lost control and rolled”.
The driver of the ute - 48-year-old Nicole Norton - was taken to Gold Coast University Hospital in a critical condition, but later died.
November 8: ‘Forever in our hearts’: Tears for toddler taken too soon
A Gold Coast toddler who was given just three months to live passed away surrounded by family and loved ones.
In July, Dustin Vaughan’s family were given the devastating news that their “amazing, vibrant and caring boy” had a rare brain tumour called Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma.
Doctors said the three-year-old only had three to six months left to live.
November 11: Daughter of beloved doctor responds to heartfelt tributes
The daughter of a beloved doctor who passed away responded to tributes and flowers which were laid out the front of her practice.
Tributes flooded in for Tamborine Village Medical Centre’s first female doctor Elizabeth Lloyd who suddenly passed away on November 11.
December 8: Mum’s agony over daughter’s tragic death
Chris Blundell sits on her youngest daughter Tanya’s bed. She holds a teddy tight to her face. It was one of Tanya’s favourites. It still has her smell.
On a shelf beside the bed, a ten dollar note and some coins.
‘Pulled out small knife’: Senior attacked at GC shop centre
Shocking images have surfaced from Nerang Fair Shopping Centre where a 68-year-old man was attacked at knifepoint allegedly by a young male teen.
‘Public interest’ in bankrupting Coast lawyer
A decision is expected within weeks on whether a disgraced ex-lawyer will be bankrupted in a landmark Federal Court case. Read what happened in the hearing’s final day: