When Steve Zmuda heard sirens and learned there was a shark attack incident on the beach, he started calling his friends. What he never expected was that the swimmer in question was his own daughter, 17-year-old Charlize Zmuda.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n
Steve recalled the time he learned the news every parent dreads. \u201cI said \u2018Is it a fatality\u2026 do we know them\u2019 \u2026 \u2018Steve I have to tell you, It\u2019s Charlize\u2019 \u2026 I said \u2018you\u2019re joking\u2019\u2026 I screamed, all the neighbours came running out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Steve desperately tried to reach his wife, Rene. However, he couldn\u2019t gather the strength to tell her that their daughter was the one killed in the shark attack.<\/p>\n
\u201c[Steve] couldn\u2019t talk and I didn\u2019t know what was going on \u2026 I screamed at him \u2018just tell me!\u2019 \u2026 not for one second thinking it would be\u2026,\u201d Rene Zmuda told the Daily Telegraph.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew it was bad because he couldn\u2019t speak\u2026 but in my head I was like \u2018where do I need to be?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
ABC News<\/p>\n
At that moment, Rene rushed to the ambulance because she needed to see her daughter herself in order to believe.<\/p>\n
Rene said her daughter was \u201ca shining light who truly touched the lives of everyone she met.\u201d<\/p>\n
Charlize\u2019s devastated dad, who runs the Nippers club at Woorim Beach on the tip of Queensland\u2019s southeast coast where the attack happened, urged swimmers to swim between the red and yellow flags, something his daughter didn\u2019t do that day, and it cost her her life.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut something my wife and I want to say is we don\u2019t want people to stop coming to the beach and enjoying our beach,\u201d Steve told 9News, adding they would never put people at risk.<\/p>\n
\u201cCharlize was a member of our club since she was eight years old.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was a dedicated lifesaver who wanted to only do the best for our club and all the people in our community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Surf Life Saving Queensland, which Charlize was a member of, shared their tribute.<\/p>\n
\u201cA 17-year-old member of the Bribie Island Surf Life Saving Club was fatally attacked by a shark. She and her family have been a cherished part of the surf lifesaving community, and our hearts are broken.<\/p>\n
ABC News<\/p>\n
Additionally, they wrote: \u201cSurf lifesaving is built on family and community, and today we mourn this devastating loss. On behalf of all members, we wrap our hearts and minds around her family, friends, Club, and all those affected. No words can ease the pain, but we stand together, offering our deepest sympathies and support.\u201d<\/p>\n
Our thoughts and prayers go to the grieving family.<\/p>\n
Please SHARE this article with your family and friends on Facebook.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When Steve Zmuda heard sirens and learned there was a shark attack incident on the beach, he started calling his friends. What he never expected was that the swimmer in question was his own daughter, 17-year-old Charlize Zmuda. Steve recalled the time he learned the news every parent dreads. \u201cI said \u2018Is it a fatality\u2026…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6197,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"default","_kad_post_title":"default","_kad_post_layout":"default","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"default","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"default","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6196","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
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