Emotional tribute from heartbroken husband of Brit gran killed by Great White shark
Devastated Dave Collyer speaks out as authorities hunt 25ft beast that has been dubbed an "imminent threat"
A BRITISH grandmother has been remembered as a 'beautiful person' after being killed by a great white shark more than five metres long while diving off Australia's west coast.
Doreen Collyer, a 60-year-old senior university nursing lecturer in midwifery, was killed by what is believed to be a huge great white shark while she was diving off Mindarie, 36km north of Perth in Western Australia at the weekend.
She had moved to Australia five years ago with husband David Collyer to be closer to their son and only granddaughter Daisy.
Mr Collyer, who was driving to the Mindarie coast to pick up his wife after her dive, saw helicopters overhead with his worst fears confirmed when he arrived at the site.
The devastated husband had to be comforted by police at the scene as he grappled to come to terms with the horrific incident.
Speaking from his Iluka home, Mr Collyer said: "Doreen was a beautiful person and everyone loved her. She was a devoted grandmother, mother and loving wife."
“Doreen loved nursing, she was a passionate nurse and she was a fantastic teacher.
“She was a beautiful, wonderful person and she was very good at her job.
“She was loved by everybody and was very caring and loving. She was full of life and very active.
“She touched a lot of lives through her teaching and through her time working on the wards.”
He thanked Ms Collyer’s dive buddy John who had tried desperately to save the grandmother’s life.
“I would like to express my sincere thanks to Doreen’s dive buddy, John, the three lads off the other boat, Whitfords Sea Rescue and the ambulance and police crews who did everything they could to try and help my wife and to avoid any further tragedy.’’
He said his wife had fallen in love with diving and had achieved her advanced open water diver’s certificate.
Mr Collyer said: “She was a very experienced diver and she loved diving. She used to go out every week as much as she could. It was something she really enjoyed.”
Ms Collyer had recently become an Australian citizen after embracing the family's new life Down Under.
The couple had not wanted to miss their only grandchild grow up so Mrs Collyer sought sponsorship from Edith Cowan University to lecture in nursing.
It is understood his wife had at the site, about 1km off the coast, more than 20 times before and had been in the water for about 25 minutes when the attack occurred.
Ms Collyer's diving buddy John said he felt something brush past him and when he resurfaced, saw his friend had been badly attacked.
The grandmother-of-one was pulled from the water onto the boat, between One and Three Mile reefs, but died at sea with what police say were severe injuries consistent with a shark attack.
Fisherman who rushed to help and who saw the killer shark said it was bigger than their 5.5 metre boat.
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The shark has now been deemed an “imminent threat” to public safety so it can legally be killed with crews now searching for the creature ordered to shoot it.
Just hours after the fatal attack, a video was captured of a huge shark in the same stretch of water.
The footage, taken from a fishing boat, shows a huge fin swimming just 400 metres off Mindarie Marina.
Trent Walker posted the video to Perth & WA Fishing Reports, saying the shark was not much smaller than his 7.6 metre boat.
The attack is the second in one week after a surfer died when his leg was bitten off by a shark while paddling his surfboard at Falcon Beach in his hometown of Mandurah, south of Perth, on Tuesday afternoon.
Ben Gerring, 29, was rushed to shore by fellow surfers before going to hospital but tragically died on Friday night.
A 4.2 metre great white shark was killed on Wednesday but Western Australia's Department of Fisheries has not been able to confirm if it was the shark involved in the attack on Mr Gerring.
Tributes for the registered nurse, who moved from the UK to Australia about five years ago, have since flowed in.
Doreen was born in Liverpool and grew up in Birkenhead before settling in Neston, on the Wirral, with Chester-born husband David where the pair lived for more than 20 years while they brought up their two children.
The couple moved to Australia five years ago after their son emigrated to the country with their granddaughter, then three, as they did not want to miss her growing up.
Their son still lives in Australia while their daughter lives in New Zealand but is currently based in Portugal.
Doreen and David were due to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary this year and David said the couple still have many friends and family in the UK, including Doreen's siblings.
Edith Cowan University acting vice-chancellor Professor Arshad Omari said the tragic death of Ms Collyer, a grandmother, was devastating for staff and students at the university where she worked.
“Doreen was the Director of Postgraduate Studies and a Lecturer with the School of Nursing and Midwifery. She was a much loved and respected colleague, mentor and teacher,’’ Prof Omari said.
Doreen Collyer died after being attacked by a shark while diving north of Perth on Sunday morning Scenes from Mindarie beach where the attack took place Copyright: Not known, clear with picture desk
“Having obtained an impressive record of senior clinical and lecturing experience in her native UK, upon migrating to Australia she made many valued contributions to ECUin the area of children and young people’s nursing.
“On behalf of the entire ECU community, I extend my sincerest condolences to her family in what is a very difficult time.’’
Prof Omari said ECU had arranged for counselling for affected staff and students within the School of Nursing and Midwifery.
Ms Collyer formerly worked as a senior lecturer at the University of Chester in England.
Perth Diving Academy paid tribute to Ms Collyer on social media, saying: “It's with heavy hearts that we are writing this post. Our thoughts and condolences go out to the family and friends of Doreen Collyer, who's life was tragically cut short while diving off Mindarie (Sunday).
“Doreen was a much loved customer in our store and her friendly nature will be greatly missed.”
Other students paid tribute to the university lecturer with Zara Yalda Aurang saying: “Doreen was such a kind and supportive teacher. You will be missed by all, especially by your students.
“RIP Doreen, condolences to her family.”
Another friend, Tracey Harris said: "Just came home after a wonderful weekend getaway with not much phone service to find out that a really beautiful friend, diver Doreen Collyer has tragically been taken at sea:( my sincere condolences go out to her husband, family and friends, she will be missed by many and remembered by us all xxx RIP"
Another student Stephanie Shy Chyn said she would “always remember how nice and friendly you are when in your class”.
Ms Collyer was the postgraduate courses coordinator and a lecturer with the School of Nursing and Midwifery at ECU.
She held qualifications from the Royal College of Nursing, was a Fellow Higher Education Academy, and Australian College of Children and Young People’s Nursing.
Ms Collyer’s professional areas of interest included neonatal feeding methods and the preparation of children visiting an adult in an Intensive Care Unit and preparing siblings to visit a patient in Intensive Care.
Western Australia's Premier Colin Barnett defended the decision to kill sharks it considers an imminent threat: “It was estimated to be 6m long and if a shark like that stays in the vicinity it is a continuing threat,” Mr Barnett said.
“If that shark stays in the area it will be presumed or judged to be a threat so we reserve that right.”
“We’re trying to balance the views of the public but public safety will always come first.”
But he ruled out setting permanent drumlines off the Western Australia Coast after the attack on Ms Collyer came just days after surfer Mandurah Ben Gerring was fatally mauled about 100 kilometres south.
He said: “I extend my, and the government and all of Western Australia’s, sympathy to the family and friends of those two people who have do tragically lost their lives.”
Fisheries metropolitan regional manager Tony Cappelluti said he expected the shark involved in the attack on Ms Collyer to be caught and shot with a firearm if caught.
But authorities were forced to pull back the shark capture equipment on Monday due to bad weather.
In a safety memo, The Department of Fisheries said: “No shark capture equipment will be set tomorrow morning, Tuesday 7 June, as it has been more than 24 hours since the last shark sighting and the fatal shark incident at Mindarie on Sunday. “
“Weather conditions are deemed unsafe on 7 June for the Department of Fisheries to continue water-based monitoring.”
The City of Wanneroo has closed beaches in the area.
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