Year in Review (April to June): Beauty and the beast of news headlines in Mid West as 2023 kicks into gear

In Part 2 of our Year in Review series, we dive into what made headlines and kept people turning pages between April and June. In those three months there were many highs, lows and moments in between. DREAM COMES TRUE Three-year-old Elsie Groom’s dream came true when she met her idol Emma Memma (Emma Watkins) at Perth Children’s Hospital. Watkins transformed into her much-loved children’s character to meet Elsie, who is battling acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. JUSTICE FOR CLEO Terence Kelly, the man who kidnapped four-year-old Carnarvon girl Cleo Smith and kept her captive in his Carnarvon home for 18 days, was jailed for more than 10 years for his shocking crimes. Cleo’s parents were in court as chilling details of how Cleo was snatched and what happened to her during that 18-day ordeal were aired. The following month Kelly lodged an appeal against his 13-year sentence. CLOSE CALL In April, six passengers and a pilot walked away unscathed after a light plane overshot the runway and crashed at the Abrolhos Islands ahead of the Easter long weekend. The Shine Aviation aircraft ended up partially submerged in the water, but thankfully everyone was OK. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigated the near-miss. DUST DRAMAS A dust-up between businesses and boat owners and Geraldton Port threatened to get ugly, over the spread of iron ore dust from the port’s facilities. Businesses and boaties said they were dealing with a daily nightmare, while the Mid West Ports Authority pleaded for patience and in April a 90m “dust tamer” fence was installed in a bid to keep the dust at bay. CAPTIVATING VIEWS The total solar eclipse on April 20 that Exmouth had spent years preparing for came and went in no time, with totality lasting a mere 62 seconds. But despite its briefness, thousands of bright eyes still gathered in Exmouth and looked skyward as day turned into night, with the Gascoyne town having the best seat in the world to witness the phenomenon. Geraldton also caught the eclipse bug — it was hard not to get caught up in the buzz. GERO’S MICK FANNING Geraldton pro surfer Max Marsden repeatedly punched a shark to escape its clutches after he was bitten on the right arm by a 1.5m bronze whaler at Lucy’s beach off Greenough. Surgeons removed fragments of shark teeth from his bone and the injury took about six weeks to heal. Marsden credited his friend Danny Williams with saving his life. SHORE FEELS GOOD People from Perth, interstate and overseas, including California and Japan, joined residents for a rare opportunity to enjoy meals by one of Australia’s best chefs, Matt Moran during Shore Leave 2023. It was another jam-packed itinerary for Shore Leave 2023, with the Abrolhos long-table lunch back and Moran curating a menu for the Paddock to Plate event on Yanget Farm. Moran was impressed by the Abrolhos Islands, the local seafood and the experience at local restaurant Salt Dish. CHOPPER CALLS It took more than five hours for a woman in her 80s suffering a medical emergency to be airlifted from the Pacific Explorer cruise ship 150km north-west of Geraldton in May. It was the second time this year a rescue helicopter had been called out to collect someone from a cruise ship. It fuelled further calls for an emergency chopper to be based in the Mid West. HOUSING CRISIS Geraldton’s stock of vacant State-owned properties continued to rise during a time when demand for public housing was skyrocketing. Despite more than 200 people being added to the housing waiting list compared to five years ago, Geraldton’s stock of vacant State-owned properties had risen from 118 to 143, while priority applications rose from 26 in 2019 to 152 in 2023 — an increase of 485 per cent. DOUBLE FATALITY The 24-year-old driver who killed popular Port Denison couple Valerie and Lindsay Baskerville was jailed for nine years in May. Khel Robert Steel was high on a cocktail of prescription drugs and alcohol when he ploughed into the back of the Baskervilles’ car at 157km/h in March 2022. The Baskervilles were about to turn into their driveway when the tragic crash occurred. PROSPECTOR MIRACLE Thankfully, a four-day search for missing 72-year-old prospector Brian Brady concluded with him found alive and walking with his gold detector in hand in outback Cue on Wednesday, May 31. Mr Brady stopped into the Mt Magnet police station to thank the officers who found him after he was released from hospital. SHOCK RESIGNATION “Exhausted” premier Mark McGowan pulled the pin on politics, announcing his bombshell retirement in late May, stating the job had taken its toll on him and left him burnt out. That left the door open for Roger Cook to be sworn in as the 31st Premier of Western Australia. TRAGIC HOUSE FIRE It was a traumatic day on a Mt Tarcoola street on June 1 when three teenagers were seriously burnt in a blaze that engulfed a home on Marinula Road. The three boys aged 12, 13 and 14, were rushed to hospital in Perth in a critical condition. Tragically, 13 year-old Nulla Mongoo died in hospital days later, with his injuries too extreme. His brother, Matt Mongoo, and the third boy survived, but sustained serious burns requiring long-term rehabilitation. BRICK ATTACK Former Karloo resident Christine Hammond was bricked in the head by youths after enduring a spate of attacks at her public housing property. She said she was constantly harassed and tormented by the group for years. The attack was the final straw that pushed the Department of Communities to relocate Ms Hammond to a safer house. PART 3: Friday, January 5, 2024