‘Unspeakable crime’
A KIWI victim and her husband who were aboard shot-down Flight MH17 are being remembered as a loving couple who ‘‘did everything together’’.
Mary and Gerry Menke – who lived in the Victorian fishing village of Mallacoota, 514km east of Melbourne – were among the 298 passengers and crew who died when the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 was shot out of the sky by a missile over Ukraine on Friday.
The pair – understood to have had three adult children – were returning to Australia following their annual holiday to Europe.
They ran an innovative abalone pearl producing company, Mallacoota Abalone Pearls Australia. Mary, who had family living in the South Island, including near Christchurch, also ran the local hairdresser and beauty salon with daughter, Anna.
A friend, Mark Touzeau, remembered Mary as a ‘‘ lovely person’’ who ‘‘ was always very chatty, talkative and easy to get along with. She was a lovely per- son. They were great people.’’ He said the Menkes had travelled to New Zealand earlier this year to spend time with her relatives.
The couple viewed Mallacoota, population 1000, as their dream home. ‘‘ They loved Mallacoota with its beautiful unspoilt beaches and nature walks . . . we used to talk [about it being] one of the nicest places on Earth,’’ he said. ‘‘They were both very fit for their age. They walked, they rode, swam and were very active. They basically did everything together.’’
Touzeau said the couple were highly respected in the tight-knit community. The fact they had died in such horrific circumstance would hit the village hard, he said.
‘‘ Who would think that two people from this township of Mallacoota would be [killed] over the skies of Ukraine,’’ he said. ‘‘As one of the headlines said it is just an ‘unspeakable crime’. It is terrorism; here we are in a modern civilisation and there seems to be more conflict than ever.’’
Gerry was regarded as an innovator in the abalone and culturedpearl industry. After a 30- year diving career, he started his business after a trip to New Zealand proved to him it was feasible.