Ex-tory MP father of seaplane victim tells of his grief
Robert Mendick and
Jonathan Pearlman in Sydney
A FORMER Conservative MP has spoken of his devastation at the death of his daughter and granddaughter in the New Year’s Eve seaplane crash that also claimed the life of the chief executive of one of Britain’s biggest companies.
The family of Emma and Heather Bowden told of their “deep loss” following the crash in Australia.
Miss Bowden’s father is Gerry Bowden, who was Conservative MP for Dulwich from 1983-1992. Ms Bowden, 48, and her 11-year-old daughter died in the air disaster along with Richard Cousins, the boss of the £25 billion Compass Group. Mr Cousins’ two grown-up sons Will, 25, and Ed, 23, were also killed along with Gareth Morgan, 44, the pilot.
The first photograph emerged last night of Mr Cousins, 58, with Ms Bowden, beaming for the camera at the Epsom Derby in the summer. Not long after the photograph was taken, Mr Cousins announced his retirement from Compass and his engagement to Ms Bowden, art editor on OK! magazine.
In a statement released to The Daily Telegraph last night on behalf of Mr Bowden, 82, and Ms Bowden’s surviving siblings Kate, Rebecca and Oliver, the family said: “Gerry Bowden and all his family are devastated by the loss of dear Emma and dear Heather who spread happiness and joy among all they met throughout their lives.
“We deeply feel their loss but their memory will shine brightly forever. We were looking forward to the wedding in the summer. We were all utterly delighted. Emma and Richard were so obviously in love and looking forward to a life together.” Investigators are now examining the cause of the crash which happened when the party of five were being flown back to Sydney after lunching at a riverside restaurant north of the city.
It is understood the seaplane had not been fitted with a stall warning device – despite an official report resulting from a previous crash that had called for the equipment to be installed.
A witness to the New Year’s Eve crash yesterday described watching his friends risk their lives to try to save the passengers. Will Mcgovern, who was on a houseboat when the seaplane plunged into a quiet inlet north of Sydney, said his three friends swam over and repeatedly dived under the water – which was “full of fuel” – in a desperate attempt to access the sinking plane.
“The whole time I was freaking out that this fuel was going to spark. The tail was sticking out from the water. This plane was moving fast; it was going down fast.
“They could have got sucked in … Dead set, they could have died,” he told ABC News.