Mackay’s Bette Wyer passes away, leaving a community in mourning

From driving ambulances in the army to mentoring the youth of the Greater Whitsundays, Bette Wyers name has been synonymous with leadership, compassion and — most importantly — netball.

From serving in the army, to serving her community through sports and mentorship, Bette Wyer touched countless lives across the Greater Whitsundays.

The Greater Whitsundays has lost a dedicated community leader, and a family lost its matriarch after Bette Dawn Wyer passed away at the age of 70 on Good Friday.

Her commitment to her community and netball is reflected in the numerous awards she received as has been covered no less than four times by the Daily Mercury.

Mrs Wyers death took her family by surprise, as she had been facetiming with her oldest daughter Melissa Ferrier at 4:45pm that afternoon and seemed “fine”.

“Our family is lost without her,” Mrs Ferrier said.

Mrs Wyer had been struggling with emphysema, pneumonia and COVID induced sepsis, which the family believes contributed to her sudden passing.

A beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother and mentor, Bette Wyer “broke the internet” when news of her passing was posted on Facebook

“She broke the internet the day we announced she passed away,” Mrs Ferrier said.

“We had thousands of messages, hundreds of shares, people I didn’t even know reaching out to us.

“I knew my mum was special, but I never truly appreciated the amount of lives she touched.”

Before living in Mackay, Bette had served in the Women’s Royal Australian Army Corps in the early 1970s, where she met her husband.

Although initially hesitant, Bette would marry Terry Wyer in the early 1970s after the two met while serving the army.

“Mum drove the ambulance, Dad was the paramedic in the back of the ambulance,” Mrs Ferrier recalled.

“For the first three weeks Dad didn’t want anything to do with her, being a woman in the army.
“Next week he asked her to marry him and she said ‘you bloody idiot I’m not marrying you’ and they got married a couple of months later.”

Immediately involved in Mackay’s netball scene, Mrs Wyer would go on to become the regional director for the Greater Whitsundays, coaching in Moranbah, the Whitsundays and starting the Mackay Brothers Netball club. Photo Daily Mercury Archive

The family moved to Mackay from Brisbane in the early 90s and Mrs Wyer became involved in local netball “straight away” eventually becoming the regional coaching director for the entire Greater Whitsundays.

“It’s always been a family thing and that’s carried on to my granddaughters now,” Bette Wyer said after being presented with Mackay Netball volunteer of the year award in 2012.

Mrs Wyer started the Mackay Brothers Netball club, received a Mackay regional Australia Day award and was awarded Queensland Netball’s prestigious Service to Netball award.

Mackay Netball Association's vice president Bette Wyer has been awarded a Volunteer Award for her contribution to netball in Mackay. Photo Lee Constable / Daily Mercury

“It was just mum being mum, I never thought about it,” Mrs Ferrier said.

“She managed to do everything, I don’t know how she did it.”

Mrs Ferrier recalled one time when a woman approached her at an event and told her “your mother saved my daughter’s life.”

Netball coach, umpire and mentor, Bette touched the lives of all who were lucky enough to learn from her and work with her.

The young woman had been troubled, Mrs Ferrier was told, but Bette Wyer, as coach mentored the young woman and gave her an avenue to a “better life”.

“I would be proud to be half the woman she was,” Mrs Ferrier said.

(Back row) Terry Wyer, Bette Wyer (Front row) Mary-Kait Pace, Hayden Sutherland, Lillian Sutherland and Declan Pace celebrate ANZAC Day.

With three kids, 10 grand kids, three great grand kids and one more on the way, Bette Wyer is mourned by her family and all who knew her.

“She had so much life left to live,” Mrs Ferrier said.

Friends and family are invited to attend Mrs Wyer’s funeral at NewLife Church in North Mackay on Thursday April 11 and a celebration of her life at the Turf Club in Ooralea afterwards.

Attendants have been advised to “wear whatever you like”

“Mum loved colour and she would just want you to be comfortable (and wear shoes),” Mrs Ferrier wrote on Facebook.

Originally published as Mackay’s Bette Wyer passes away, leaving a community in mourning