The year’s biggest stories from Wide Bay-Burnett
From tragic road fatalities that impacted countless lives to ordinary people who did extraordinary things, here are the stories that broke our hearts and inspired in 2023.
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As 2023 draws to a close, here is a list of the articles that shocked, inspired and informed our readers in the Wide Bay-Burnett this year:
Former footy star turned prisoner dead after grim jail find
Readers were moved by the tragic fall from grace for former NRL star Lui Matalio Dylan (Dee) Tiaaleaiga after he was found dead in his Maryborough Correctional Centre prison cell in September.
Remembered as a warrior “as strong as 10 men” who fought his demons “of equal strength”, Tiaaleaiga went from the highs of being selected for the Newcastle Knights in 2011 to a worsening spiral of criminal behaviour including two road rage assaults and being involved in an armed robbery of a bottle shop.
The death of his grandfather closely followed by his sister in July 2019 led to a drug-fuelled crime spree one month later from which he was later charged for offences including assault, robbery, possessing a homemade hand gun and damaging and stealing cars.
Following his arrest Tiaaleaiga spent time in three different prisons until he was found unresponsive in his cell at Maryborough Correctional Centre.
Tiaaleaiga was understood to have died from natural causes.
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Qld’s biggest, richest cattle stations and the people behind them
Queensland is famous for having some of the largest cattle farms in the country, but the families and business empires behind the operations delivering more than $23.11 billion of the state’s agricultural revenue are less well-known.
Readers were intrigued and informed by this full list of the mega cattle properties including some of the biggest sales in recent years.
New details emerge in horrific crash that killed Illiana
With Wide Bay experiencing a record number of deaths on the region’s roads in 2023, there were all too many road crash fatalities to report throughout the year.
While every death was a tragedy, the unnecessary loss of young lives touched the hearts of readers more than most, and none more so than the death of Bundaberg teenager Illiana Palella in May.
Illiana, 17, died in hospital from critical injuries after the car in which she was travelling along with her friend, the Bundaberg North boy David Smith, collided with an armoured vehicle on Goodwood Rd near Childers.
Described as a “vibrant” girl and a “beautiful friend of many”, tributes poured in for Iliana from friends, family and co-workers.
‘Love you forever’: Young man’s crash death leaves communities shattered
More tributes flowed from the close-knit group of friends and family of Nicholas “Joel” Wright who died when the car in which he was travelling rolled off the road in the early hours of Saturday, August 5 in Bundaberg.
Joel’s lover, Lora Lewis, gave a heart-rending account of the last time she saw Joel at Bundaberg’s Central Hotel before he left to do some “skids” with friends.
“I said ‘Please wait for me, I’ll be five minutes’,” Lora said.
“He told me he loved me and that I looked good, and then he left.
“I begged him not to go, and he didn’t want to go, he just wanted to stay with me – but he didn’t.”
Court hearings revealed the driver of the car, Joel’s friend Zachary Robert Kolm, was allegedly hitting speeds of more than 180km/h and was under the influence of alcohol and drugs the night of the crash.
Fourth woman in critical condition identified after horror triple fatality
The loss of three young women in the prime of their lives rocked the state when details emerged of the horrific crash allegedly caused by a 13-year old boy driving a stolen car in May.
Friends Kelsie Davies, Michale Chandler and Kaylah Behrens, leaders and members of Maryborough’s Reach Church, were on their way home from watching a movie together, while nurse Sheree Robertson was driving home from her shift at Maryborough Hospital.
The victims’ families have recently spoken of the debilitating grief that still haunts them after their lives were shattered upon learning of the Maryborough crash, with Kelsie’s mother cleaning her room every day out of a desire to keep it exactly as it was before she lost her 17-year-old daughter.
After shock footage emerged of the 13-year-old boy wielding a knife while travelling in a car with a 15-year-old Granville girl, he pleaded guilty to three counts of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death and one count of unlawful use of a motor vehicle in Maryborough Magistrates Court in November and is awaiting sentencing in 2024.
‘The last hug’: Grieving family in limbo after mysterious death
The mother of Cooper Steele gave a moving account of the final embrace she received from her ‘loving, wonderful boy’ before the promising university student died in his sleep at the age of 21 in October.
After undergoing a battery of tests for increasingly frequent spates of paralysis, with specialists unable to identify the cause, Cooper died in the Brisbane apartment he shared with his broken-hearted girlfriend, Ellisa.
Cooper was farewelled at a moving funeral service in November with his father, senior Bundaberg council officer Gavin Steele telling the gathering the coroner had advised the cause of his son’s death may never be known.
Meet Wide Bay-Burnett’s badly behaved parents of 2023
From inciting their children to assault police to using a child’s scooter in a road rage incident and drug dealing, the worst criminal exploits by some of Wide Bay’s parents makes compelling reading.
Brother’s heartbreak over shock motel death
Friends and family of Tyeson Mackie offered moving tributes to the 27-year-old father of two whose life tragically ended in a Maryborough motel unit in June.
Tyeson’s brother, Lachie Mackie said “I’m so f------ lost for words. This is not meant to be”.
“I love you so much, my brother,” he said.
“I thank you for everything you have taught me in life, the good and the bad!”
A Queensland Police Service spokesperson confirmed afterwards that that Mr Mackie’s death was being treated as non-suspicious.
The billionaire business moguls who call country Qld home
While most Queensland entrepreneurs live in the south-east corner, regional high-flyers have an edge and spirit not always seen in the cities.
This revealing article showcases the millionaires and billionaires who love living in the country and the places they call home.
50 drug dealers and traffickers named and shamed
From meth mums to family drug rings, dog breeders and corporate workers, there have been 5000+ drug offences across the Wide Bay Burnett in the past two years, with dealers supplying and trafficking to hundreds of regular customers.
This article gives the low-down on the ones who got caught.
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Beach bash nightmare: How horror crash forever changed teens’ lives
A police crackdown on hooning on Bundaberg’s Coonar and Kinkuna beaches was triggered by a horror crash in June that left a Maryborough teenager fighting for her life in a Brisbane hospital from critical injuries.
Mia Selby gave a moving and compelling account of the events leading up to the crash on her 18th birthday, and the strength and resilience she showed on the long road to recovery.
A Brisbane man has been charged with five offences related to the crash and faced Cleveland Magistrates court in the first hearing in December.
More Coverage
Originally published as The year’s biggest stories from Wide Bay-Burnett
Beloved steakhouse suddenly closes after 14 years
A beloved Bundaberg restaurant has shocked the community with its sudden closure after 14 years of trading.
Loved ones mourn ‘beautiful’ man after Boxing Day tragedy
A beloved brother and friend has been laid to rest in an emotional ceremony marking the 33-year-old’s life, after the tragic discovery of his body last month.
Friends, family farewell Bundaberg icon
The matriarch of Avenell Bros., a cornerstone of Bundaberg’s business and cultural history, has been farewelled in an emotional service at Christ Church.
Transformed: 22 shops, projects that reshaped the Wide Bay Burnett
From new dining experiences and retail shops, innovative restaurants and huge infrastructure works there was no shortage of projects which transformed the region in 2024 and laid the groundwork for 2025. See the list:
Vale Shirley Greenhalgh: Business icon leaves lasting legacy
The matriarch of the family behind one of Bundaberg’s most iconic businesses is being remembered as an “icon” after she died just days after Christmas.
New Year’s Eve fireworks return for 2025
After a six-year hiatus, Bundaberg’s New Year’s Eve fireworks are back in 2025, with a community-led celebration at Lions Park.