An Australian grandmother who tragically lost her life on a secluded island after being left behind by a cruise ship has been identified. Her grieving family has come forward to share her story.
Suzanne Rees, an 80-year-old from New South Wales, was known for her passion for bushwalking and gardening. Her untimely death occurred on Lizard Island this past Saturday.
Ms. Rees, traveling alone, passed away on the remote island in Far North Queensland. This unfortunate incident happened during the first leg of a 60-day cruise, which costs $80,000 per ticket, around Australia.
Authorities have begun a thorough investigation to determine the circumstances that led to Ms. Rees allegedly being left behind by the Coral Expeditions cruise ship, owned by NRMA.
Her daughter, Katherine Rees, revealed that her mother became unwell during an organized climb on the island and was instructed to return down the trail without assistance.
“The ship departed, seemingly without conducting a headcount. It was during or shortly after this time that my mum passed away, alone,” she expressed to The Australian.
She said her family were ‘shocked and saddened’ that their healthy and active grandmother was abandoned due to the ‘failure of care and common sense’.
It’s understood Ms Rees was not reported missing until about 6pm on Saturday night when she failed to arrive for dinner, five hours after she was allegedly left behind.
NSW woman Suzanne Rees, 80, is being remembered as a keen bushwalker and green thumb by her family following her death over the weekend
Ms Rees’ body was found 50metres off the hiking trail that leads to Lizard Island’s highest summit, Cook’s Look, on Sunday.
Her death came just a day after the Coral Adventurer kicked off its journey, embarking from Cairns on Friday afternoon.
The ship had anchored off Lizard Island on Saturday, where passengers could take a smaller boat to hike and snorkel on the resort island, 90km northeast of Cooktown.
Yachtie Traci Ayris raised ‘questions about safety protocols and a delayed start to the search due to it not being known that the woman was missing’, the Cairns Post reported.
Ms Ayris and her partner Matthew, who were aboard SV Vellamo anchored near Lizard Island, were listening to emergency radio transmissions sent from the Coral Expeditions vessel.
‘They did headcounts for snorkellers (which we heard) but not for other guests on the island it would seem,’ Ms Ayris told the Cairns Post.
‘The last people came down from the track and got into tender then the (ship) left very soon after that.
‘There was not a lot of time between when the last passengers left the beach to when they up anchored. We even commented, “Wow they left fast”.’
An excursion to Lizard Island ended in tragedy with the death of an elderly tourist on Saturday
Vessel Finder showed the Coral Adventurer sailed back towards Lizard Island about 9pm on Saturday and arrived at about 2am on Sunday.
Ms Ayris said a helicopter began an aerial search at about midnight but after arriving, seven crew from the Coral Adventurer went ashore and walked the mountain by torchlight until 3am, before the search resumed again at first light. t.
‘The chopper arrived at first light and it went directly to Telstra Rock (where she was last seen) and immediately it hovered then went straight to the air strip,’ she said.
‘We knew that it had found her and the lack of activity told us that she was clearly dead. She lay there all day and was finally airlifted [just before 4pm].’
Australian Maritime Safety Authority officials will meet the 112-passenger Coral Adventurer when it docks in Darwin on Sunday.
The cruise ship is currently in waters off Thursday Island in the Torres Strait as the $80,000-a-ticket voyage continues.
Coral Expeditions confirmed Ms Ree’s death to the Daily Mail.
‘The crew notified authorities that a woman was missing, and a search and rescue operation was launched on land and sea,’ chief executive Mark Fifield said.
‘Following the operation, Coral Expeditions was notified by Queensland Police that the woman had been found deceased on Lizard Island.
‘While investigations into the incident are continuing, we are deeply sorry that this has occurred and are offering our full support to the woman’s family.
‘The Coral team has been in contact with the woman’s family, and we will continue to offer support to them through this difficult process.
‘We are working closely with Queensland Police and other authorities to support their investigation. We are unable to comment further while this process is underway.’
Popular with divers, snorkellers and hikers, Lizard Island is one of the most remote tourism destinations on the Great Barrier Reef.
Cook’s Look is the highest point on the island and follows the footsteps of British explorer Captain James Cook, who is believed to be the first European to have trekked up the mountain in 1770 after his ship Endeavour struck a reef.
‘It covers four kilometres and at times is very steep so we recommend medium to high fitness and agility to safely undertake this hike,’ the Lizard Island website states.
‘Due to the time it takes to hike and the heat of the day, it is recommended that you hike early in the morning.
‘Those that have done this hike say it is challenging but incredibly rewarding.’
