Toyah Anniversary
Community Remembers
It was a special time as the sun started to go down over the Coral Sea at Wangetti Beach last night.
A small group of people, but part of a huge still grieving community, came together to commemorate the fourth anniversary of Toyah Cordingley’s horrific murder at the beach. The 24-year-old was walking along her favourite stretch of sand when her life was taken on October 21, 2018. Toyah’s murder will always remain in this reporter’s psyche. My wife Marion and myself were travelling from Adelaide to Port Douglas to make our home here when Toyah was brutally taken from us.
As we passed the spot a few days later it was surreal to think that as we drove out of Adelaide, Toyah was full of life and enjoying every day and would never have dreamt of what was to come. Since that fateful day her family, friends and in fact the whole Far North community have been hoping and praying that justice will finally be done and the last chapter can be written.
The signed order means local authorities now have the power to arrest the man and take him to Queensland, where he would be transferred into the custody of Australian police for questioning.
“That’s all fine but now they’ve got to track him down amongst 1.4 billion people, how they’re going to find him I don’t know, especially when someone is hiding” said Wayne ‘Prong’ Trimble, a Cordingley family friend and spokesperson. Prong reckons this is a long way from the final chapter but just the beginning “over there at the moment there’s elections going on, so nothing’s going to happen for a while, I mean it could be another twelve months or even another four years, who knows” he said.
Wangetti service
A service is held every year on the anniversary of Ms Cordingley’s murder at the memorial site built by her loved ones at Wangetti Beach. Sunflowers and teddy bears abound at the site, which is always kept looking spick and span. The teddys might have gotten a little wet with the rain but there was no mistaking the love with which they were placed there yesterday. The Ryan family flew up from Melbourne to be part of the remembrance service last night. The trio worked with Toyah at Paws and Claws and were openly emotional at the service saying that their dear friend will always be part of their lives and that her spirit will live on “we loved her like a daughter” said Phillip Ryan “She was an angel and a very special person, and we will love her forever” he said.
Sticking to it
And a big thank you to Steve Parsonage from Copy Shop Print & Signs in Cairns for continuing to supply those iconic Toyah bumper stickers. So many vehicles in the Far North and around Australia are displaying them and they were vital in helping information flow from the public to the Police as they investigated the crime.
Never give up
Family friend and spokesperson Prong says the community, the family and the authorities will never give up on seeing justice done in the death of Toyah Cordingley and we at Newsport echo that.
Check out a tribute by Tony Gordon which was a year in the making. It’s a sad but powerful film as we remember Toyah on this four-year anniversary of her murder. The link is below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4vusWD5Tvc