Horror shark attack as 'inspirational leader', 40, mauled to death while fishing
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Tributes have poured in for an “inspirational leader” who was killed by a shark while on holiday with his family. Luke Walford, 40, was bitten by a shark while fishing on Saturday afternoon on Australia ’s Great Barrier Reef and despite paramedics rushing to the scene at Humpy Island on the Queensland coast, in Australia, he could not be saved. Four others have been attacked by sharks in Queensland in 2024, according to an incident tracker. But Mr Walford is the only victim to die from his injuries in the Sunshine State.
Situated near the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef, the spot he was at was in the Keppel Bay Islands National Park. Police are preparing a report for the coroner. Mr Walford was a youth pastor for the Cathedral of Praise and school chaplain at Heights College in Rockhampton. Queensland MP for Rockhampton, Donna Kirkland, described him as a “wonderful man” who had died in tragic circumstances.
"A family friend, not only to my own family but countless others. He was an inspirational leader as a children's and youth pastor," she said in a statement. "My prayers and heartfelt condolences are with his beautiful family and indeed the many who will be devastated, as I am, at this news." While fellow Queensland politician Nigel Hutton said: “The thoughts and prayers of our community go out to the Walford family.".
