Husband of snake bite victim remembers his wife’s tragic final words

THE heartbroken husband of a snake bite victim in Perth has told of his wife’s final desperate words before she died in his arms.

Supplied Editorial Anne Wortham died of snake bite. Pic: Facebook/Anne Wortham

THE heartbroken husband of a Perth woman who died from a snake bite has revealed her tragic final moments.

Christopher Wortham said that his wife of 49 years, Anne Wortham, was “calm and composed” as blood ran down her leg following a walk at South Beach in Fremantle on Saturday afternoon.

“She said, ‘quick take me to the hospital. I’ve just been bitten by a snake’,” Professor Wortham, who teaches at the University of Notre Dame, told The West Australian.

“She was quite calm and composed. I got one of the laces off one of my hiking boots and used it as a tourniquet and she said, ‘I think it may be too late, the venom may have travelled through by now’.”

Heartbroken ... Chris Wortham said his wife was ‘calm and composed’ after being bitten by a snake. Picture: Channel 9

Professor Wortham said he tried to revive his wife when she collapsed by the car, but it was too late.

“I asked if she was OK. She said she felt a bit woozy and she collapsed. I rang triple-0 and was following directions on CPR and within five minutes paramedics arrived. They all tried desperately hard,” the 74-year-old English professor said.

Mrs Wortham was rushed to Perth’s Fiona Stanley Hospital but couldn’t be revived.

Professor Wortham said he normally accompanies his wife on her walks but decided to have an afternoon nap. They had lunch together on the terrace before she set off.

Loving grandmother ... Anne Wortham has four grandchildren. Picture: Channel 9

The mother-of-two’s death has devastated her family, in particular her four grandchildren.

“They are devastated, all of them, and she was terribly close to her children and grandchildren who always loved being with her,” Professor Wortham, who was born in South Africa, told Daily Mail Australia.

“She was known to them as ‘ganzi’ when our granddaughter Olivia couldn’t say ‘grandmother’ when she was younger.”

Born in Adelaide, Mrs Wortham met her husband in London where they both taught.

They moved to Zimbabwe where they worked at the University of Rhodesia for a decade before moving to Perth.

Tragic ... Chris Wortham holds a photo of his late wife, Anne Wortham. Picture: Channel 9

Professor Wortham said his beloved wife, a University of Sydney graduate, worked one-on-one with migrants and refugees, and loved all types of music.

“She was bright, feisty, hugely intelligent, witty and full of laughter,” Professor Wortham said.

“She was also a very serious person who studied deeply and she read enormously. You could name any novel and she would have read it.”

Professor Wortham said it was unclear how far his wife had walked before being bitten or the type of snake that bit her.

A toxicology report is being prepared.

Scene ... Anne Wortham was bitten by a snake at South Beach, Perth. Picture: Channel 7

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