If you’re having an off day, spare a thought for one Mackay man who’s probably feeling worse.
Everyone is wondering about the identity of “Steve”, whose newly former partner Jenny took out a full-page ad in the Mackay And Whitsunday Life newspaper to denounce him as a “filthy cheater”.
“Dear Steve, I hope you’re happy with her. Now the whole town will know what a filthy cheater you are. From Jenny. . I bought this ad using your credit card,” it read.
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The ad created so much interest the editor posted a response saying: “We have been inundated with dozens of messages this morning about the Advert on Page 4 of Mackay Life – as there’s too many to reply to, we would like to address it here.
“1. We do NOT know who Steve is, but apparently he’s been very, very bad.
“two. We won’t be revealing any details about Jenny.”
Jenny paid for the ad on her ex’s credit card – but the paper confirmed it had not charged him.
“Jenny sounds like someone I want to be friends with,” one person commented. “Never trust Steve.”
“Not all heroines wear capes. Jenny is my new favorite person,” said another.
One Jenny even clarified: “So all my friends are aware. I am not the legend ‘Jenny’ and my ‘Steve’ has not been bad.”
But not everyone was convinced. Some claimed Jenny and Steve didn’t exist at all and the ad was a very clever marketing tactic by the team at Mackay And Whitsunday Life newspaper.
“This has PR stunt written all over it,” one user wrote, and another: “Good way of getting more likes and readers to your page.”
Woman confirms the man her dad set her up with is now her boyfriend.
Woman confirms the man her dad set her up with is now her boyfriend.
Four young children may be at “significant risk” after a man abducted them from a Queensland property on Thursday morning.
Queensland Police said the children – aged 8, 7, 4 and 3 – were taken from a property at The Leap, north of Mackay, about 11.30am.
“All of the children are described as being Caucasian in appearance with a slim build and brown hair,” police said in a statement.
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An amber alert has been issued asking members of the public to help locate the youngsters.
The children – aged three, four, seven and eight years old – were taken by a man from a property at The Leap. Credit: QLD Police
A man, with identifiable Batman ‘joker’ themed facial tattoos, was seen taking the children from a Maraju Yakapari Road address in a white 2005 Nissan Patrol 4WD with the Queensland Registration 063BC9.
The car was last seen heading toward Bruce Highway.
Police said the alleged offender is described as Caucasian, solid build, approximately 175cm tall with a shaven head and full bushy beard.
Police said the man seen taking the children, pictured, has identifiable facial tattoos. Credit: QLD PoliceThe man was seen driving toward Bruce Highway in a white 2005 Nissan Patrol 4WD. Credit: QLD Police
Anyone with information about the abduction is asked to call 131 564.
Those with life-threatening information about the incident should contact triple-0.
CCTV captures father using pram and pants to steal from shop.
CCTV captures father using pram and pants to steal from shop.
The youngest victim of an alleged triple murder was the father of a newborn baby boy.
Graham Tighe, 35, was one of three people allegedly fatally shot at a property in the central Queensland town of Bogie on Thursday.
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As details of the circumstances surrounding the alleged shooting continue to emerge, The Courier-Mail reports Tighe leaves behind a three-week-old son.
It reports that he only got to spend a few days with the child before his death.
Tighe, his mother Maree Schwarz, 59, and her husband Merv, 71, all died at the scene. Graham’s brother Ross survived and raised the alarm.
A 59-year-old neighbor has been arrested and charged with three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder, and will face court Monday.
Graham’s partner Lucy had given birth to their second child just weeks before. Credit: 7NEWS
7NEWS understands police will allege that the gunman invited them to meet up at his property amid a dispute over a boundary line.
The 59-year-old man – who was also charged with one count of attempted murder – will appear in Proserpine Magistrates Court on Monday.
The charges come as new tragic details emerge that Graham’s partner Lucy had only recently given birth.
Graham’s uncle, Greg Austen, told 7NEWS the father had only spent a few days with the newborn before the baby was taken to Brisbane to visit Lucy’s mother.
“It’s just devastating shock that things can happen so quickly in the blink of an eye and ruin so many lives so quickly,” he said.
Maree and Mervyn Schwarz. Credit: Supplied
7NEWS understands police will allege the farming family was invited to meet with their neighbor at the edge of his Bogie property, 45 minutes away.
Acting Superintendent Tom Armitt said the property where the shooting allegedly took place was “tens of thousands of acres”.
“It’s actually a 45-minute drive between the neighbours,” he said.
“At the crime scene, which is at the front gate of one of the premises, it is a 3km drive between the gate and the house at that location.”
Armitt said because Ross had been so far from the crime scene, and it was unclear whether the alleged gunman was still at large, police were cautious in their approach to the property.
“At that time, not knowing whether the armed offender was present or not, putting their lives in grave danger, especially when the report was that the people had been shot with a rifle,” Armitt said.
“So that was slow and meticulous work and extremely brave of the officers who were involved at that time.”
The surviving man was airlifted to Mackay Base Hospital where he remains in a serious but stable condition. Credit: 7NEWS
Ross was initially in a critical condition but since undergoing multiple emergency surgeries is now reported as serious but stable.
“He was able to speak to us overnight and provide us details of what occurred at the incident yesterday morning,” Armitt said.
“And detectives will be speaking to him again this morning.”
Community in shock
Merv and Maree are being remembered as a “lovely, hardworking” family as loved ones try to make sense of the tragedy.
“We’re lucky we still have Ross with us,” Austen told 7NEWS.
“To see the trauma that would have unfolded in front of him and then be able to go that far to raise the alarm, it’s a mighty effort.”
Graham leaves behind two young children, with partner Lucy stuck in Brisbane, unable to fly on commercial airlines as she gave birth a few weeks ago.
7NEWS understands after desperate efforts from family and friends, a charity will put Lucy and her children on a charter flight home.
Graham’s brother Ross survived and was able to flee into remote bushland with a gunshot wound to his stomach. Credit: 7NEWS
Whitsunday Regional councilor Jan Clifford said the tight-knit community would be devastated.
“To my knowledge, nothing like this has ever happened in the Whitsunday region before,” Clifford said.
“We are all deeply saddened by the tragedy.”
Clifford said the incident was bound to have a big effect on the tiny community of Bogie, which has a population of 207 according to the latest census data.
“It’s a little village. Everyone will know everyone… It’s just awful.”
One woman working in nearby Collinsville said the entire community was in shock.
“The whole town is a bit rattled that something like that could happen here,” she told AAP.
A 59-year-old man has been charged with three counts of murder relating to the mass shooting on a rural property near the central Queensland town of Bogie on Thursday.
Police will allege that around 9am, they received a report three people had been fatally shot at a property on Shannonvale Road and another man had suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen.
Watch more on this story in the video above
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A 35-year-old Bogie man, Graham Tighe, his mother Maree Schwarz, 59, and her husband Merv, 71, all died at the scene.
Graham’s brother, Ross Tighe, survived and was able to flee into remote bushland with a gunshot wound to his stomach before raising the alarm.
7NEWS understands police will alleged that the gunman invited them to meet up at his property amid a dispute over a boundary line.
The 59-year-old man – who was also charged with one count of attempted murder – will appear in Proserpine Magistrates Court on Monday.
The charges come as new tragic details emerge that Graham’s partner Lucy had only recently given birth.
Graham’s uncle, Greg Austen, told 7NEWS the father had only spent a few days with the newborn before the baby was taken to Brisbane to visit Lucy’s mother.
“It’s just devastating shock that things can happen so quickly in the blink of an eye and ruin so many lives so quickly,” he said.
Maree and Mervyn Schwarz. Credit: Supplied
7NEWS understands police will allege the farming family was invited to meet with their neighbor at the edge of his Bogie property, 45 minutes away.
Shortly after, Merv, Maree, Ross and Graham were dead.
Acting Superintendent Tom Armitt said the property where the shooting allegedly took place was “tens of thousands of acres”.
“It’s actually a 45-minute drive between the neighbours,” he said.
“At the crime scene, which is at the front gate of one of the premises, it is a 3km drive between the gate and the house at that location.”
Armitt said because Ross had been so far from the crime scene, and it was unclear whether the alleged gunman was still at large, police were cautious in their approach to the property.
“At that time, not knowing whether the armed offender was present or not, putting their lives in grave danger, especially when the report was that the people had been shot with a rifle,” Armitt said.
“So that was slow and meticulous work and extremely brave of the officers who were involved at that time.”
The surviving man was airlifted to Mackay Base Hospital where he remains in a serious but stable condition. Credit: 7NEWSGraham’s brother Ross survived and was able to flee into remote bushland with a gunshot wound to his stomach. Credit: 7NEWS
Ross was initially in a critical condition but since undergoing multiple emergency surgeries is now reported as serious but stable.
“He was able to speak to us overnight and provide us details of what occurred at the incident yesterday morning,” Armitt said.
“And detectives will be speaking to him again this morning.”
Community in shock
Merv and Maree are being remembered as a “lovely, hardworking” family as loved ones try to make sense of the tragedy.
“We’re lucky we still have Ross with us,” Austen told 7NEWS.
“To see the trauma that would have unfolded in front of him and then be able to go that far to raise the alarm, it’s a mighty effort.”
Graham leaves behind two young children, with partner Lucy stuck in Brisbane, unable to fly on commercial airlines as she gave birth a few weeks ago.
7NEWS understands after desperate efforts from family and friends, a charity will put Lucy and her children on a charter flight home.
Graham’s partner Lucy had given birth to their second child just weeks before. Credit: 7NEWS
Whitsunday Regional councilor Jan Clifford said the tight-knit community would be devastated.
“To my knowledge, nothing like this has ever happened in the Whitsunday region before,” Clifford said.
“We are all deeply saddened by the tragedy.”
Clifford said the incident was bound to have a big effect on the tiny community of Bogie, which has a population of 207 according to the latest census data.
“It’s a little village. Everyone will know everyone… It’s just awful.”
One woman working in nearby Collinsville said the entire community was in shock.
“The whole town is a bit rattled that something like that could happen here,” she told AAP.
