Island’s sad goodbyes
Farewell to missing paddler
A standing-room-only memorial service was held at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church for Denne Bourke, who went missing while paddling in his canoe on May 3 off Thursday Island.
He was a well respected and loved member of the community, and Irene Laifoo from the Cannon Bogo Pilot Hostel said his loss had been as if a “very big blanket” had overcome the whole island.
“We’re very, very fond of him, he trained six or seven of our students in canoeing,” she said. “We all knew him and most of our students knew him. All of our students attended his memorial service last Friday.
Ms Laifoo said he was a very friendly figure around town who gave the students free coffees and mochas.
“The church was packed and it was standing room only,” she said.
Mr Bourke was a keen canoeist and went missing as he was paddling in the sea off Thursday Island on May 3.
His outrigger canoe was found that afternoon, 100m offshore from Thursday Island.
Far North District police co-ordinated the search and rescue operation and police and community volunteers mounted an extensive aerial, vessel and ground search but they failed to find him.
The following day surface searches covered hundreds of square nautical miles in the vicinity of the channel between Horn and Thursday Islands where the missing 38-year-old was last seen on his canoe.
With no sign of the missing man the search was gradually wound down then officially ended on May 16.
Some people just knew him as “the coffee guy”, but Henry Joseph, who works at the Thursday Island Pharmacy said all the staff there knew him.
“He was a very friendly person, he just fitted in to the community,” he said. “He pretty much made friends with everybody here, visitors got to know him, and tourists. He was one of our locals and he fitted in with Thursday Island.
“It’s made a big impact on the community. He was a very friendly fellow, very positive.
“He was very respectful and made a big impact on the community.”