Year in review April to May: Geraldton news landscape a bittersweet picture of tragedy, loss and unity

2024 continued to be a year of highs and lows, filled with tragedies, community passion projects, moments of reflection and lessons we could all learn from. Here is our year in review in pictures for April to June. 1. SINKING FEELING One driver started the Easter holiday with his Toyota Prado at the bottom of the Batavia marina. The ultimate “oops moment” happened when he went to get something out of his boot and the car started rolling into the water. 2. YOU HAD US AT YELLOW The city’s iconic yellow submarine was restored thanks to the Rotary Club of the Batavia Coast and earlier this year we got our first glimpse of it in its new glistening glory. It’s a project the community will be grateful for, for many years to come. 3. DODD INQUEST April 3 marked the first day of the fast-tracked coronial inquest into the death of Meekatharra teenager Cleveland Dodd, who took his own life at Unit 18, the youth wing at maximum-security Casuarina Prison. It’s an inquest that is still hearing evidence six months later. The first day laid bare the grim reality being examined when it was revealed Cleveland had threatened to harm himself eight times on his final night. Lifeline 13 11 14 4. REMEMBERING BAILEY Another tragic teen suicide we wrote about this year was the death of 17-year-old Dongara girl Bailey Cooper. Her suicide on April 14 came after what her mother Keira Street said was a long and arduous mental health battle and relentless bullying. Ms Street believed her daughter had been failed by both the mental health and education systems. “She was beautiful. I just wish that she could have seen herself through the eyes of people who actually loved her,” she said. Lifeline: 13 11 14 5. ANZAC SPIRIT Geraldton’s Anzac Day dawn service saw about 5000 people gather at Birdwood House to pay their respects. The city’s dawn service is believed to be the biggest Anzac Day gathering outside the metro area. Well done Gero! 6. ANOTHER SHORE THING Shore Leave continues to be a popular staple on Geraldton’s calendar and the four-day festival did not disappoint in 2024. About 25,000 people attended Shore Leave events this year, with highlights being the Abrolhos Island long table lunch and Mid West Paddock To Plate at Yanget Farm. 7. EAGLE CLIPPED New West Coast recruit Tyler Brockman got himself into a spot of bother when he crashed his car into a power pole on a Geraldton roundabout and fled the scene in early May. He was ultimately fined $1500, sidelined for a portion of the season and apologised for his actions. 8. IDENTITY REVEALED His identity was kept secret by the courts for almost five years. But in May this year, the Supreme Court lifted the suppression order on Brent Wyndham, the officer who fired the shot that killed Yamatji woman JC on a Geraldton street in September 2019. JC’s family applied for the suppression order to be lifted before the inquest into her death was due to start. 9. GROUND BROKEN WA’s most overdue major project — the $166 million redevelopment of Geraldton Health Campus — finally got the official “turning of the sod” treatment when Premier Roger Cook came to town in June. Six months on, work is visibly progressing. About damn time! 10. HIGHWAY HORROR Long-time friends Coral Seinor, 83, and Thelma Clausen, 82, were killed in a horror crash on Brand Highway in Cooljarloo, north of Cataby, on June 7. The crash involved the women’s Suzuki Ignis, a Toyota Prado allegedly being driven by ex-AFL footballer Shannon Cox and carrying his 12-year-old daughter and a road train towing two trailers. Mr Cox now faces two counts of manslaughter. 11. HOME INVASION Ruth O’Brien, 78, was left bloodied and bruised after she was attacked with a broom and robbed by a group of teenage intruders in her Rangeway home in June. Incredibly, she told the Geraldton Guardian she forgave her attackers, saying more needed to be done to provide stability for youth in the community. 12. BIG BIRD This beast of an aircraft — a Royal Australian Air Force A330 — set a new record when it landed at Geraldton Airport in June for a training exercise. It was the biggest aircraft to ever land in Geraldton, measuring at 58.8m long and 17.4m high, with a wingspan of 6.03m. 13. NO MOORE In June, the Geraldton Marine Rescue base at Point Moore reached the point of no return thanks to ongoing erosion. Mother Nature could not be kept at bay any longer. The tide had come within 4m of the building, making it unsafe, and forcing it to be swiftly demolished.