-With AAP
1.”I don’t like those things, be careful.” Dad’s last words to a Melbourne woman before she died in a light plane crash.
Kathleen Canavan is being remembered as a “very beautiful lady”, who had “gorgeous eyes and a big heart,” by her father after her uncle’s ultra-light fixed wing plane crashed in the Victorian Alpine region.
The 23-year-old and her uncle left for the joy ride on Saturday at 12.20pm, and crashed at Lake Eildon.
The pilot Danny Canavan, aged in his 40s, survived the crash and was picked up by a fishing boat.
He was taken to the Alfred Hospital with non-life threatening injuries and has since been released. His niece’s body was found by divers.
Kathleen’s father John Canavan told Seven News he’d spoken to her moments before the flight.
“She said, Dad, I’m going on a ride with Danny and I just said Kathleen just pray Hail Mary because I don’t like those things. Be careful,” he said.
“Those were the last words I got to say to my daughter.”
Ms Canavan’s uncle Gerard Canavan said of his brother: “Danny is in severe shock. He’s very, very remorseful.
“He’s been sedated and being medically checked so he will struggle with this very badly.”
Ms Canavan was one of six children and had been visiting her grandfather in Lake Eildon after returning from volunteer work in Fiji.
It is not known yet what caused the plane to plunge into the water but witnesses saw the pilot flying close to the lake’s surface before the crash.
“He was just flying around, just 20 metres off the water, and he appeared like he was going up to outer space and then he has just come down,” fisherman Sid Knight told Seven News on Saturday.
“Hit the water and bloody somersaulted.” He said the plane then sank “like a rock”.
Ms Canavan’s boyfriend Petero Vundilo told The Age he was “lost” after hearing of her death.
“I love her more than anything in this world. Right now I still won’t accept the fact that she has to leave me so soon,” he said from Fiji.
According to The Age, the couple were planning a future together and were going to lodge an application for his visa in the coming weeks.
2. A Queensland boy waited six hours to be rescued off a sinking boat.
A seven-year-old is fighting for life after being rescued after spending six hours on a sinking boat off the Sunshine Coast.
Water police raced to find the boy and two adults after receiving a distress call from the 5.2-metre vessel, which was taking on water just after 1.30am on Sunday.
The coast guard was deployed to their last known location about 14km off the coast of Caloundra and all vessels in the area were notified the boat was sinking, police said in a statement.
The trio were spotted in the water by a tanker that was anchored offshore which notified authorities who rescued them just before 8am.
“It is very lucky that all three were found alive this morning,” Queensland Ambulance Service senior operations supervisor Kristy MacAlister said on Sunday.
The boy was winched into a helicopter and taken to Sunshine Coast University Hospital, where he remains in a critical condition.
“He was suffering from hypothermia because he had been in the water for quite some time,” Ms MacAlister said.
The two men, aged 48 and 39, were brought back to land by marine rescue, and it is understood they were also suffering hypothermia.
3. A Brisbane home is being dug up in search of a missing US woman.
An excavator has been brought in to dig at a Brisbane home as police investigate the suspected murder of US citizen Priscilla Brooten who disappeared last year.
The 46-year-old woman disappeared from Bracken Ridge in July last year but wasn’t reported missing until December.
“We share the fear of Ms Brooten’s family and friends and have reason to believe she may have met with foul play,” Detective Senior Sergeant Michael Hogan told reporters on Saturday.
The woman was a keen gamer and police believe she may have raised fears about her safety to the online community before her disappearance.
Online friends and associates may not have even known she was missing and police have urged them to come forward, he said.
Police ramped up the search for the missing mother-of-one on Saturday, using cadaver dogs to comb the Bracken Ridge home of her former partner.
Investigators have spoken to the 43-year-old, and he was released from custody on Saturday night.
The pair had been in a relationship for more than a year before she disappeared and he failed to report her missing.
4. The Matildas lost out in a shock defeat to Italy in the World Cup.
The Matildas face a World Cup reckoning against old nemesis Brazil after suffering a shock 2-1 loss to Italy.
Australia slumped to a last-gasp loss to the Group C underdogs in Valenciennes on Sunday, with Barbara Bonansea’s brace ensuring the first big shock of the tournament.
Sam Kerr’s debut World Cup goal had the Matildas ahead, but despite dominating the game they were unable to take the three points.
Instead, Bonansea pounced on Matildas defender Clare Polkinghorne’s blunder to equalise just before the hour mark, and with a minute remaining she leapt highest to head in the winner and break Australian hearts.
Kerr took off her armband in despair on the full time whistle as the Italian bench exploded onto the pitch.
Italy’s triumph wasn’t merited by the statistics; they were starved of possession and took just five shots to Australia’s 17.
But after being denied two equalisers to marginal offside calls before laying a late sucker punch, Italy’s victory – on their return to the World Cup after a 20-year absence – was certainly special.
“I don’t think we deserved that,” Australia coach Ante Milicic said.
“We created enough chances to win the game, we dominated enough possession but I think at the crucial times we didn’t capitalise on that.
“At times we gave the ball away too easily. When we played our football we looked decent, but it was only in patches.
“We need to quickly regroup and focus on the Brazil game.”
The loss isn’t terminal for the Matildas’ hopes of progressing in France, but they now need a result in their next match with Brazil in four days time.
“We have decided to go the long way about it, the hard way about it,” Milicic said.
“You know what? Maybe that’s just the Australian way. So we will stare it straight in the eyes and we will go for it.”
5. The highest ever percentage of women are on this year’s Queen Birthday Honours list.
The Queen’s Birthday Honours are set to make history this year, with the highest percentage of women ever on the recipient list.
Women make up 40 per cent of recipients across all tiers of the awards, including five out of the 12 people receiving the top honour, the Companion of the Order of Australia (AC).
They include ABC chair Ita Buttrose and former union boss Sharan Burrow.
It’s the last honours list for outgoing Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove, who has led a push in recent years encouraging people to nominate more women for awards like the Queen’s Birthday Honours and Australia Day awards.
“We would all welcome higher recognition of magnificent Australian women,” he said.
“These awards are our opportunity to say to fellow Australians, ‘thank you – without you and your tireless service we wouldn’t be the community or nation that we are’.
“Some names on today’s list are well known. Many more are known only to those they help and serve day-in-day-out. They are all wonderful people and are all worthy of recognition and celebration.”
There are 993 Australians in the general division, while 221 people are receiving meritorious and military awards.
The oldest recipient on the Honours list is 99 years old and the youngest is 18.
All awardees will receive their honours at ceremonies around the country in coming months.
Former Labor prime minister Kevin Rudd and Hollywood star Hugh Jackman are set to receive the top honour, with Mr Rudd dedicating his to indigenous Australians.
“These first Australians are the oldest continuing civilisations on earth, and for those of us who have arrived in recent centuries, it is a privilege to share this vast and ancient continent with them,” he said.
Recipients appointed Officers of the Order of Australia (AO) include former Democrats senator turned domestic violence prevention advocate Natasha Stott Despoja, former top diplomat Geoff Raby and ex-Liberal minister and senator Nick Minchin.
Other awardees include ballet dancer Cunxin Li, actor Sigrid Thornton, former Australian of the year Rosie Batty and former NT chief minister Clare Martin.
Actor Eric Bana will become a Member of the Order of Australia (AM), along with journalists Jane Caro and Leigh Sales , as well as singer Guy Sebastian.
Creators of fashion label sass & bide, Sarah-Jane Clarke and Heidi Middleton, will also add AM to their names, as will News Corp group executive and AAP chairman Campbell Reid and rugby league figures Johnathan Thurston and Cameron Smith.