Rod Ritchie, Cooroy Area Residents Association president
In December 1981, Cooroy made the national news, when four people were electrocuted in Cooroy Creek, just to the right of the Mary River Road bridge at the bottom of Maple Street. Unbeknownst to local residents living nearby, power lines that had fallen into the water after a storm were live. Looking for some adventure in this popular swimming hole, two young boys launched their homemade raft into the swollen creek. They died instantly when they grabbed hold of the wires. Also killed were one of the boy’s mother, and a young man, who were electrocuted when they dived into the narrow creek to go to their aid.
Earlier in the year, Noosa Council rejected an application by the local newspaper, The Cooroy Rag, to erect a memorial plaque because, “it doesn’t meet the criteria of a significant historical or cultural event.” The suggestion that this tragic event in Cooroy was not a significant cultural or historical event for the town is soundly rejected by the community.
Cooroy Area Residents Association (CARA) president Rod Ritchie said on the Cooroy Community Noticeboard Facebook Page, more than 180 residents agreed that a memorial plaque on a bench seat, adjacent to the place where the accident happened, would be most appropriate. There were no dissenting views.
The good news is that Council has now agreed to reverse its policy and will allow a wooden bench, especially made by the Cooroora Woodworkers Club, to be situated behind the Woodworkers clubhouse overlooking Cooroy Creek, he said.
The public unveiling of the memorial will be at a date to be advised.
