Source : the age
By Savannah Meacham
A teenager is being remembered as a hero after dying while trying to rescue a girl who had jumped into a waterfall and also lost her life.
The 17-year-old girl fell off a waterfall at Wappa Falls on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast about 2.30pm on Sunday.
Beau Liddell, also aged 17, jumped into the water to help the girl when she failed to resurface.
Police said both teens went missing, sparking a search and rescue operation.
The girl’s body was found about 3.30pm and divers recovered Beau’s body several hours later.
The waterfall remains closed amid a police investigation and officers were set to prepare reports for the coroner.
Friends and family of 17-year-old Beau Liddell paid tribute to the boy on his Instagram page.Credit: Instagram/beauliddell
The boy’s father, Adam Liddell, told ABC Sunshine Coast his son, one of four siblings, was a creative and popular young man with a passion for art and music.
He said Beau jumping in to save his friend was “the type of person he was”.
“He’d put himself in danger to help someone. He never thought of himself first,” he told ABC.
Liddell recalled taking his son to Wappa Falls when he was a child, and warning him of the dangers.
Emergency crews at Wappa Falls, where the pair died on Sunday.Credit: Nine News
“I pretty much knew that if someone’s disappeared at that waterfall, it’s usually not a good outcome,” Liddell said.
“But you don’t actually ever expect to see your son’s body. That’s not something you’ll forget.”
He urged authorities to block off the popular swimming spot permanently, and said the signs warning of dangerous water were not enough to prevent tragedies.
Beau’s sister Skye Liddell posted on Instagram about her devastation.
“I miss you so badly baby brother,” she said.
“You had the most caring and kind heart. I am so proud of you, I love you to the moon and back, forever and always.”
Other friends have also shared tributes for Beau, calling him a “hero”.
“Words can’t describe how much I’m going to miss you brother,” one friend posted on Instagram.
“You left the world a hero and you will never be forgotten.”
Local MP Marty Hunt offered his condolences to the teenagers’ families.
“Our hearts go out to the families of the two individuals who tragically lost their lives at the waterfall,” he said in a statement.
“Two families are enduring unimaginable pain right now and on behalf of the community I offer our deepest condolences during this time.”
Wappa Falls is a popular local swimming spot and tourist destination, but it can be dangerous after heavy rain when the upstream Wappa Dam spills.
The dam is currently 101.8 per cent full, according to Seqwater.
Seqwater warned on Sunday morning that outflows from Wappa Dam had increased after heavy Saturday rainfall.
Nearby Cooloolabin Dam received 49mm of rain in the 24 hours to 9am on Sunday.
Wappa Falls has been the site of several tragedies over the years, with a father drowning in 2022 trying to save his son who had fallen into the water.
More than 30 people have drowned around the nation this summer.
AAP
