Desperate plea from parents of Australian teenager in Vanuatu

JUST before Tropical Cyclone Pam tore through Vanuatu, Australian tourist Zoe Marshall texted her mum. She hasn’t been heard from since.

Aussie teen’s haunting texts

“SORRY for the early text but don’t know when phone will work. We’ve got cat 5 warning. Should hit us tonight. Should be all good.”

This is the last message desperate Canberra mother Alison Abernethy received from her 18-year-old daughter Zoe Marshall, who has been volunteering on the island of Pentecost in Vanuatu.

The teenager is one of dozens of Australians unaccounted for on the island after category 5 Cyclone Pam ripped through Vanuatu causing devastation and taking at least eleven lives late on Friday.

‘Should be all good’. The last time Zoe’s family heard from her.

Zoe started texting her mum about the cyclone last week.

With communication lines still down, no one has heard from Zoe or the other Australian volunteer teachers she has been working with.

“The past five days have been absolutely devastating,” her mum Alison tells news.com.au.

“As each day is passing we’ve become more and more concerned and upset and just desperate for news.”

Before there was any sign of Pam’s destruction Alison and her husband Rob were keeping in touch with their daughter daily.

Having deferred a place at the University of New South Wales to study engineering, the talented teenager set off on a volunteering mission with charity group Lattitude, teaching locals at a school.

“Up until now it’s been the adventure of a lifetime,” Alison says.

“We knew she wanted to do something to help people, and she initially wanted to go to India.

“When she chose Vanuatu we were delighted because we thought it was a much safer place to go.”

Zoe left for ‘the adventure of a lifetime’ on February 9.

But Alison and Rob’s relief had passed, and fear set in last week when cyclone warnings came.

Text messages from their daughter had previously detailed cheery updates on her job: “Teaching grade 5/6 is awesome, teaching Grad 1 / 2 is like herding cats.” And how she was settling into the relaxed island life: “I’ve eaten more banana lap lap than I thought humanly possible.”

Last Tuesday the correspondence took a turn.

“We’re preparing for Cyclone Pam, no need to worry, everything packed away. Should deal with the worst in 24 hrs,” a text message Zoe sent on Tuesday said.

“Hatches are being battened, roofs reinforced. The rain has stopped for a while. A rat ate my sandals. I sewed them back together. Love you more than a breeze,” she wrote on Wednesday night.

Then came the last message on Thursday morning, ending with “should be all good”.

Since receiving that optimistic text Alison hasn’t heard from her daughter, or had any information about her, and had limited help from Australian authorities.

Young children play around debris as residents begin to clean up after Cyclone Pam in Mele village, on the outskirts of the capital Port Vila, Vanuatu

“I think she would be frantic knowing that we were worried about her, but I’m very hopeful that she’s safe and knowing Zoe, I think she’s just getting on and helping the villagers,” Alison said.

“Having had no experience with DFAT and Smartraveller in the past, my expectation and the reality of the information provided didn’t match at all.”

While parents of volunteers from New Zealand on the same island have been receiving updates from NZ MFAT (the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade), the Marshall family has received no information.

A mother of a volunteer in Pentecost today said she had been told by the NZ MFAT the Australian Defence Force were on their way to the island. News.com.au has contacted DFAT to confirm this.

As well as daily calls, her husband Rob contacted Smartraveller on Twitter, responding to advice for Australians concerned about their loved ones to “contact them directly via phone, email, social media.”

Concerned about loved ones affected by #CyclonePam? Please try to contact them directly via phone, email, social media

— Smartraveller (@Smartraveller) March 16, 2015

“As opposed to what? I know there is no phone or internet service where my daughter is,” he wrote.

When asked to call the emergency centre, Rob said he already had.

“One person said even if our daughter was located they wouldn’t tell us. Next person said opposite,” he replied.

He then took matters into his own hands, appealing to people headed to Vanuatu to help find his girl.

“If you see a skinny white girl take a pic … missing my daughter,” he wrote.

Zoe’s mum said she understands there is not a lot of information available, and she has had that explained to her and remains hopeful.

“The process was made quite clear to me but in terms of helpfulness of getting in contact with our daughter has not been there,” she said.

“There have been lots of tears and lots of ‘I can’t cope any more’ moments. I just want my daughter back, but we have to hope for the best and hope that all of those 19 kids are safe and well.”

Spokeswoman for Lattitude, Marie Blackburn, said the volunteer organisation was working with local authorities to re-establish contact with local volunteers. Latitude has 19 volunteers in Vanuatu aged between 17 and 24.

“We’re still working with local authorities in Port Vila and DFAT in Canberra,” she said.

“The communication lines are still down in that area so everybody is being as helpful as they possibly can.”

South Australian teen Ally Trueman has been reported missing from Pentecost Island Vanuatu.

Responding to reports of another Australian teenager missing in cyclone-ravaged Vanuatu yesterday, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said she was aware of reports.

“The challenge for us is that communications have been down,” she told reporters in Canberra on Tuesday, adding a better assessment was likely with more Australian personnel now on the ground.

As Australian Defence Force planes fly in humanitarian supplies, medical personnel and urban search teams, Prime Minister Tony Abbott described Australia as a good neighbour and a “regional mate”.

“We will be doing everything we reasonably can do to help because that’s what Australia does,” Mr Abbott told Radio 2SM on Wednesday.

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said reconnaissance by the country’s military showed that “more than 80 per cent of houses and buildings have been partially or completely destroyed” in Tanna.

Aid is expected to reach some of cyclone-hit Vanuatu’s worst affected islands today after reaching the worst-affected island of Tanna on Tuesday.

News.com.au has contacted DFAT for further information.