Latest news with #Bundaberg
News.com.au
14 hours ago
- News.com.au
Funeral for slain 17yo Pheobe Bishop will be held in Bundaberg on June 30
A funeral service for Bundaberg teenager Pheobe Bishop will be held 16 days after her remains were found in bushland following her disappearance. The 17-year-old was last seen on May 15, on her way to Bundaberg Airport to board a flight to visit her boyfriend in Western Australia. She was reported missing the following day. A major investigation began after it was discovered Pheobe failed to board her flight and she was not captured on CCTV inside the airport. The trip was a long-awaited reunion with her boyfriend Levi, who had moved across the country following a family tragedy. Police allege she was murdered by her flatmates James Wood, 34, and Tanika Bromley, 33, on the day she was last seen. The pair were arrested on June 5 following a failed search to find the missing teen. They were charged with murder and two counts of interfering with a corpse. Pheobe's body was discovered near Good Night Scrub National Park the following day. A funeral for the teen will be held with her family and friends in Bundaberg before a private cremation at the Springfields Crematorium at Elliott Heads at 2pm on Monday June 30. Messages have flooded the funeral notice offering their condolences to her family. 'It is so very sad you were taken from life as you were. You will remain forever young in the hearts of all who knew and loved you. May your soul rest peacefully,'one message read. 'My heartfelt condolences to Pheobe's family and friends, a young life cut short senselessly,' another said. 'Sincere condolences. Such a tragic end to a young life. May Pheobe rest peacefully,' a person said. 'BISHOP, Pheobe Jade 'Nanny McPhee'. Aged 17 years. Late of Gin Gin and formerly of Windsor, NSW. Beloved daughter of Kylie and Ray, Kevin and Stacey. Dearly loved sister of Jamie, Jesse, Kaylea, Ruby-Leigh, Aybel and sister-in-law to Janay. Loving aunty to Tallullah. Much loved niece, cousin and friend to many,' the funeral notice reads. Her family have asked for donations to be made to Pheobe's Go Fund Me page in lieu of flowers, which has already raised $7600. Tracey Berends organised the tribute on behalf of Ms Bishop's family saying their world was shattered when the bright, kind-hearted and deeply loved young woman was taken from them far too soon. 'Pheobe had a gentle soul and a generous spirit – always caring for others and standing up for what was right,' she told a vigil earlier this month. 'We want her legacy to live on and by paying it forward to the amazing volunteers and community.' Her mother Kylie Johnson said at the vigil she never expected a situation like that would happen to her. 'Now, unfortunately, we know that she is not going to come home to us,' she said. 'I have no words that could ever, ever describe what the last three-and-a-half weeks … it's just weighed us down.'
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Yahoo
Tradies forced to make $100,000 clean-up after selfish act at national park
'Disgusted' is how rangers are feeling after they discovered 200 tyres illegally tossed into an Aussie national park. On Friday, Queensland's environment department (DETSI) announced it had launched a joint investigation with council to find those responsible. The dumping ground was discovered inside a deep ravine in the Isla Gorge National Park, around 340km west of Bundaberg, creating a massive challenge for workers. The region is home to rare plants and animals, and is known for its gorges, sandstone outcrops and rock formations. Taking a single car tyre to the tip costs from $14, and so the culprits saved roughly $2,800 by dumping them. But their selfish act will impact taxpayers across the state, as the removal of the tyres took two days and required tradies with specialised skills. Authorities were forced to bring in a 130-tonne crane to remove the tyres for recycling. It's believed that hiring equipment of that size costs in excess of $100,000. Banana Shire Council Mayor Nev Ferrie called the act 'disgraceful'. Speaking with Yahoo News he said hauling the tyres out of the national park had delayed other essential work in the park. 'It's bloody terrible stuff. Someone would have got paid to pick those tyres up, and then they've come along and thrown them away where no one can see them,' he said. A senior ranger with DETSI said the dumping would have also polluted a sensitive environment, and put the park at an increased risk of fire. 'This shocking example of illegal dumping has delayed our planned burn program, and we are doing everything we can to remediate the site and find the person or business responsible,' he said. Authorities believe someone in the region knows which business or individual is responsible for the problem. 🚘 Hundreds of tyres mysteriously stacked up in family's driveway 🚨 Cops make 'extremely dangerous' find on ute tyres 🥶 Tradies unable to work and pipes freeze in icy Aussie town 'People involved in illegally dumping waste can receive hefty fines, and they can be ordered to clean up the mess,' the ranger said. Anyone with information is urged to contact DETSI on 1300 130 372 or the Banana Shire Council on (07) 4992 9500. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
ABC News
3 days ago
- Climate
- ABC News
BlazeAid pays hay transport costs for Victorian farmers struggling with drought
Road trains laden with hay are travelling thousands of kilometres to keep livestock alive in southern Australia amid ongoing feed shortages. Drought-stricken farmers are transporting fodder from as far north as Bundaberg in Queensland to feed their animals. But Victorian farmer and BlazeAid founder Kevin Butler said freight costs were prohibitive. "It's doubled in price and it's still skyrocketing even further … the big issue is freight," he said. BlazeAid is offering to cover the fodder freight bills for cattle farmers doing it tough. The disaster relief charity is helping to organise the loads of hay and farmers are encouraged to arrange collection points in their area. The Victorian government has announced a range of support options for drought-affected farmers but has not committed to subsidising fodder. Agriculture Minister Ros Spence told the Victorian Country Hour earlier this month that "fodder subsidies don't work." "The first thing that happens is they drive up price and then that doesn't help farmers' cash flow," she said. But Mr Butler said farmers were in "dire straits" and that freight assistance made sense. "So if the government won't do it, then BlazeAid will do it," he said. Mr Butler said feeding animals was the biggest concern at the moment. "[Farmers] are just not going to sleep at night because they know their cows are starving and they don't know where the next bale of hay is going to come from," he said. "I just can't sit by and hear about all these [breeding animals] getting their heads chopped off and I certainly can't sit by and see my fellow farmers going broke." Recent rain has turned brown paddocks green across many of the drought-affected areas, but feed for animals is still scarce. John Davison, who runs an agriculture business and small farm at Sugarloaf Creek near Seymour, is coordinating the BlazeAid freight support. He said livestock owners would have to truck hay in well into spring. "It's nice to keep the moisture in the soil, but because of the cold temperatures we won't get growth," Mr Davison said. "What we can classify this now [as] is a green drought. "The paddocks may look green … but you won't get any higher than an inch [of grass]. "There's so many ongoing issues now — farmers are selling their breeding stock. "If you think you're living in the metropolitan areas and it doesn't affect you, eventually it will, when you start to go buy lamb and beef and see the prices go up. "It will take a couple of years to get back up to the [breeding stock] level we're at now."
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Gut-wrenching moment Pheobe Bishop's gran learns the missing teen's grisly fate - as she lifts the lid on the bitter rift that has ripped apart her family
Pheobe Bishop's grandmother burst into tears and wept uncontrollably as she was told the missing teen's remains had been found, before revealing new details on the devastating rift that is tearing her family apart. Queensland Police confirmed on Tuesday that the human remains found on June 6 in Good Night Scrub National Park outside of Gin Gin, near Bundaberg in central Queensland, were those of the murdered 17-year-old. Karen Johnson - mother of Pheobe's mum, Kylie Johnson - was overwhelmed with emotion when Daily Mail Australia broke the tragic news at her home in Windsor, north-west of Sydney. The shattered grandmother seemed unaware her granddaughter's body had been located almost two weeks ago, before they were formally identified by post-mortem forensic testing this week. She begged for more information on whether police had 'found Pheobe yet' and if her body was 'still complete' before she sobbed as the heartbreaking reality sank in. Pheobe's mother had been informed of the grim development 24 hours earlier before it was made public on Tuesday, Daily Mail Australia can reveal. But the grandmother said she had no idea and lifted the lid on the shocking breakdown in relations between herself and her daughters. The rift was exposed in public with an ongoing vicious war of words between Kylie and her estranged sister Carolea Johnson after Carolea went on TV to slam her sister over Pheobe's upbringing. On Tuesday, Karen admitted: 'I don't really speak to Kylie that often. 'She is in her own little world. I feel like I am this person that is not in their circle... does that make sense? 'Kylie is in her own world. She has her business, she has everything going on, and I don't think she knows what to do.' Pheobe went missing on May 15 on her way to Bundaberg Regional Airport, where she was due to catch a flight to Western Australia to link up with her Karlgoorlie-based boyfriend, Levi Jones. Police ruled her disappearance a homicide, and charged her Gin Gin housemates James Wood and Tanika Bromley with murder and two counts each of interfering with a corpse. The couple are remanded in custody ahead of an August 11 court date. Carolea fanned the flames of the family rift with a series of fiery statements about Pheobe and her mother when she appeared on Network Ten's The Project. Carolea appeared on the show in silhouette to leak private texts from Pheobe - sent about three weeks before she went missing - in which she described her living situation as a 'hellhole'. Kylie immediately hit back online and accused her estranged sister of knowing nothing about her daughter or their family. This week, Carolea sparked another fierce response from Kylie for questioning her claims that Pheobe had a disability. Kylie had praised her late daughter for never letting herself be defined by her 'disability' - thought to be borderline personality disorder. But Carolea, who referred to herself as the 'aunty by blood', insisted in a Facebook post that Pheobe ' had no disabilities but [was] a child who was out of control '. The comments triggered a furious reply from Pheobe's mum. 'I'm sorry but blood doesn't make you family,' she wrote back in a furious Facebook post. 'Showing up, being present, and unconditional love makes you family. 'Please refrain from referencing my daughter as your family. She may be blood related, however you know nothing about her.' On Instagram, Carolea used her bio to take another blast at her relatives, posting: 'No I will not back Kylie, [other siblings] Cristal or Troy, or the person who had us. 'They can all rot in hell.' Grandmother Karen was visibly upset when asked about her daughters' war of words, and revealed she has not escaped the anger. She confirmed Carolea's words about 'the person who had us' was directed at her. 'I don't talk to Carolea,' she admitted. 'Me and her had a big falling out.' Karen revealed that Kylie has texted her occasionally in the past month, and recalled the heartbreaking moment she contacted her to tell her Pheobe was missing. 'I was shopping at Woolies and Kylie rang me and she said, "Mum... Pheobe's missing",' she said as she began to sob once more. 'And I thought... yeah... but then it hit me. It really hit me'. Karen said she saw Pheobe 'once every one to three years' on family trips to Kylie's home state of New South Wales. But she still wanted to know why her granddaughter had been living in squalid conditions at Wood and Bromley's trash-strewn Gin Gin rental home. 'I am disgusted that that's where she was living... living in that condition,' she said. 'Why was she? I would love to know.' It's understood that last year, Pheobe's older sister Kaylea, now 18, was looking for a home for herself and her sibling to rent 'due to family circumstances'. Karen, despite living 1300km away from her Gin Gin family members, wished the apparently troubled teens had come to stay at her modest Windsor unit. 'Pheobe knew she could always come down. My door was always open,' she said. Karen did not attend the community memorials for Pheobe, held last week in Gin Gin and Bundaberg, but had watched a livestream online. 'They did a good job, but now I think it's time to let it go,' she said. She was unsure if she would attend Pheobe's private funeral, which she understands is happening 'toward the end of the month'. It's understood Pheobe's remains will soon be given to her family after forensic tests are completed.
The Independent
3 days ago
- The Independent
Remains found in remote bushland confirmed to be those of missing teen Pheobe Bishop
The Queensland police have confirmed that the human remains found in rugged bush earlier this month are those of missing teenager Pheobe Bishop. The 17-year-old Queensland teen was last seen on her way to Bundaberg airport on 15 May when she failed to board her flight. Her housemates, James Wood, 34, and 33-year-old Tanika Bromley, have been charged with one count each of murder and two counts each of interfering with a corpse. Police had found the human remains on 6 June in the Good Night Scrub National Park area, but couldn't immediately confirm whether it was Bishop's body. The Queensland Police on Tuesday officially confirmed that the remains belonged to the missing teenager, but the authorities could not find either her luggage or her mobile phone. "Investigations into locating more items of interest in relation to this matter remain ongoing," the police said. Bundaberg mayor Helen Blackburn said the formal identification was a "relief", Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported. "We've been waiting to have the confirmation that it was Pheobe that was found ... to have this now confirmed just means that we can move forward together." Bishop was last seen on the morning of 15 May when she was being driven to the Bundaberg airport by her housemates. Footage shared online showed a grey Hyundai ix35 driving along the back street of Gin Gin. The car model was allegedly the same as the one Bishop was travelling in on the day of her disappearance, according to the police. The video was reportedly from two hours after Bishop was dropped off at the Bundaberg airport for her flight to Brisbane. Bishop's mother, Kylie Johnson, described the disappearance as completely 'out of character', particularly during a week of family mourning – the death anniversaries of her best friend and her grandfather. "If you knew Pheobe, you would know that she is free-spirited and loves hard! She is loyal to the core and cutthroat,' she said. After the arrest of Bishop's housemates, Ms Johnson posted to Facebook, "begging anyone that knows anything to come forward". Detective Inspector Mansfield said, "our investigation will detail the facts that we believe Pheobe was murdered and then her body was moved". 'We will allege that Pheobe was moved more than once.'
