Wreckage of missing plane located in Snowy Mountains, no update yet on pilot David Stephens
Bega man David Stephens had his plane inspected before taking off from Wangaratta in Victoria on Tuesday afternoon, headed for Moruya on the NSW south coast.
The 74-year-old never arrived at his destination, and an extensive land and air search commenced.
About 4pm on Thursday, a rescue helicopter located what is believed to be the wreckage of the plane near its last known GPS location.
"NSW Police Force now have carriage of this matter with investigations to continue tomorrow," NSW Police said.
Police are yet to provide an update on the pilot, Mr Stephens.
The wife of Mr Stephens described him as an experienced flyer and said the situation had been "heartbreaking" for his family.
Lynda Leigh, issued a statement to the ABC, saying Mr Stephens was a member of the Frog's Hollow Flyers aero club.
"Unfortunately, David disappeared on his flight home on Tuesday after having his aircraft inspected," she said in the statement.
"It is known that the mountain weather can turn very quickly, and we can only assume he must have seen a way over the mountain to decide not to turn back to Wangaratta.
"David has quite a bit of experience flying that plane, but we can't know what situation he was facing, and we'll only have answers once they locate the plane and with that David."
Frog's Hollow Flyers aero club president Tony Rettke said Mr Stephens got his 1966 Beechcraft Debonair plane serviced at Wangaratta.
"[It would] only be a minor amount of work, the aircraft was immaculate, an incredibly beautiful aircraft, well maintained," he said.
"He must have done everything he needed to do, just with a basic service, probably an oil change, the usual stuff that goes with 100 hours, and he headed off that afternoon."
Ms Leigh said Mr Stephens was an accountant and was just two months away from retiring.
She said he was also a well-known rally sport commentator on the Sapphire Coast region.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) led the multi-agency search for Mr Stephens and his plane.
"The trails are heavily snowed in. It's very rugged terrain and very steep alpine terrain that they're trying to navigate through," AMSA duty manager Dan Gilllis said.
The search involving multiple agencies commenced on Tuesday, assisted by NSW Police, NSW SES, the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, and Snowy Hydro.
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ASX rebounds; Trump's trade deal with Japan
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SBS Australia
2 hours ago
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The cost of being a hero
Hosted and produced by: Paulien Roessink Script editor: Bernadette Phương Nam Nguyễn NITV Radio team: Kerri-Lee Barry, Alexis Moran and Ngaire Pakai SBS team: Joel Supple, Max Gosford and Bernadette Phương Nam Nguyễn Mixed by: Mandy Coolen Special thanks to Rajish Aryal Follow this podcast on the SBS Audio app or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN TO SBS Dutch 24/07/2025 24:17 English Paulien Roessink: This podcast is produced on the lands of the Cammeraygal People. We'd like to pay our respects to elders past and present and acknowledge the thousands of years of storytelling on this land. This episode contains references to war, distressing cultural material, and mentions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who have passed away. Neville D'Antoine: Ones is a looks like silver. There's the metal is silver, and it's a Dutch writing on it. But the metal is, is the ribbon on the middle is yellow with a red vertical, vertical stripe down the middle. Paulien Roessink: You're hearing the voice of Neville D'Atoine, Uncle Charlies' nephew. In the last episode, we spoke to Uncle Charlie's family. They told us in detail about the awards he had received for saving the lives of 3 Dutch people during the air raids on Broome in 1942. They also told us, that even though Uncle Charlie was awarded for his bravery by the Dutch government, and the Royal Humane Society of Australasia, he never really thought he was a 'hero.' Neville D'Antoine: Uncle was that kind of person, you know, he did what needed to be done and didn't make a big deal of it.I think it was the people he couldn't save that bothered him the most So he would talk very little. You know, it was, it was very short sentences when I spoke to him about it, and then I thought I'd back away, because this is very painful for him. Paulien Roessink: I'm Paulien Roessink, and this is 'Uncle Charlie: the invisible hero', a podcast from SBS Dutch and NITV Radio. Michael Lake: A lot of people went above and beyond that day and Charlie was one of them. And where Charlie was a bit different is, he certainly didn't get the recognition Paulien Roessink: Over three episodes I'll be speaking to historians, community members, survivors and family members about what it means to be recognised for heroism, and to figure out why Uncle Charlie didn't get officially recognized by the Australian government. This is the third and final episode: The cost of being a hero. Uncle Charlie's story is one that's well known by the local community of Broome. And earlier in this series we heard from Michael Lake, a volunteer historian at the Broome Historical Society & Museum. Michael: He was remembered- as being a very quiet man, who underplayed how brave he was. And it really required others to tell the story. And also to certain degree, it wasn't in the government interests of the day, to publicize the fact that an Aboriginal person had been so brave. Charlie was not recognized by the Australian government, it was the Humane Society of Australia, they gave him a medal. And then it was quintessentially, the Dutch government, that recognized him. It was a story that we, you know, wasn't quite swept under the carpet, but it was pretty close to it. Paulien: What is bravery to you? David Arden: Bravery is normally when a person chooses to act for the benefit of someone else despite the presence of serious personal danger and in many cases, this happens in a split second with no guarantee of outcome, and no expectation of recognition. It's not about strength or success. It's more about the intent of the risk and the selfless act. Paulien Roessink: I'm speaking to David Arden, the President of the Royal Humane society of Austral-asia. He has over 50 years of experience in a range of roles across emergency, aviation, and security. So, he understands bravery pretty well. David: The Royal Humane Society has been going for 150 years in Australia and we had two main purposes. We give bravery Awards to people who have risked their lives to save someone or tempted to save them, we were the first organization in Australia to re-establish, a formal civilian bravery award. With the original bronze medallion issued from the 1870s. And we're unique in that we also have a financial fund where we can assist people who have been financially disadvantaged by their act of Bravery. Paulien: How special is it to receive an award? David: We think it's important and our evidence confirms that. And when we have investitures at government houses right around Australia, or the governor actually presents the award to the individual. You can see there's an immense sense of pride and they get a sense of helping somebody. And each nomination is reviewed independently. We just look at the evidence, the circumstances, we compare similar cases, and it doesn't matter who the potential awardee or the nominee is. It can be absolutely anyone. And what really matters is the act itself, it's the act of putting yourself at risk to help save someone else's life, and that's why people get awards, and that's why they are valued. Paulien Roessink: David says that Uncle Charlie being humble about his acts is not unique. However, the aftereffects of being a hero can be damaging... Paulien: And how do people respond in general when they get presented an award? David: Most often they are quite humble and they just said, well I just did what anyone should do. But some of them have lived with the trauma for years, and the award helps them mentally, and helps them give a form of acknowledgement that makes more sense of their experience. And it helps their families and it helps their families understand perhaps more about when they were talking about the incident, and and why they might be affected by it. So, it helps the process grief. And it really importantly just make sure that the person its courage is not overlooked. It's more recognized. Paulien Roessink: The Royal Humane Society offers a range of awards depending on the acts performed. You can get a gold medal for conspicuous bravery where the risk to life is extreme. A Silver Medal for bravery in hazardous circumstances, recognising those who faced significant danger. And so on... The Certificate of Merit that Uncle Charlie received in 1944, is one that is awarded to someone who honours selfless acts of courage and compassion where the risk to life was present, though not severe... David: in this case, we are highly confident at that, Charles did put himself at danger to save a mother and her children, rather than swimming your way himself, and saving himself. He decided to stay in the water when the Japanese were attacking and keep them afloat. And therefore saved their lives. And he really does deserve to be recognized, and we're proud that he was, and we're pleased to help tell the story, so that people can understand it and build an understanding more about how brave he was. Paulien: Yeah. Charles D'Antoine got a certificate, not a medal, for example, a silver medal. Do you know why? David: Only judging on the evidence the limited evidence we have, the board at the time would have assessed the risk to him and he was brave. Now, there are actually four main levels of an award of gold, silver, bronze, and a certificate. So a certificate is an award, it's just doesn't have a visible medallion with it, but it is an award. It recognizes his bravery and his heroism to do that. So the degree of risk When you you've got going to a burning car and it's like it's about to explode. Then that is pretty extreme. When someone's pointing a weapon at you and threatening to kill you and you still go in and try and help someone. That's pretty extreme. So, they're, the sort of levels of risk. We deal with. Paulien: These kind of risks, Uncle Charlie was swimming in burning oil, or water with burning oil, the Japanese were shooting at him, there were sharks in the water. To me that's pretty, sounds pretty dangerous. Do you think the fact that he got a certificate, the fact that there is no proof from that time, there was no reporters, no TV camera filming everything. Yes. Did that play part? David: I think that would be part of it, certainly. Nowadays, sometimes we get to see some footage from the media and other sources and that really helps us make a judgement. And certainly that lack of evidence is probably why. And and without that evidence, then the board of the time would have thought, well, we really don't have the evidence, maybe we would like to give him a silver, he probably deserved a silver, but we don't have the evidence. And so, on the evidence presented in front of us this is all we can do. Paulien: Mmm. Yeah. So asking this question, if this would have happened today, do you think he would have gotten a different award? David: It's hard to judge but quite possibly. Yes. Paulien: Yeah. I think some people will think, did it have anything to do with him being an Aboriginal, man? David: Yes, I suppose they will and and I can't answer that. I don't know, times were different, but I do know that we have strict standards and we've maintained them over 150 year history and we're very strictly. It doesn't matter who the person was. What their background, how much money they've got or whatever or anything like that. It is purely their act of bravery, to help an attempt to save, or actually save someone, who's life was in danger. Michael Bell: I think it's great that he got his recognition from the Dutch government and also the Humane Society. It is a sign of the times, and deplorable that the Australian Government didn't recognize him for his actions. Paulien Roessink: This is Michael Bell. Michael: I'm the indigenous liaison officer at the Australian War Memorial, and I'm a Ngunnawal/Gomeroi man Paulien: have you heard about Uncle Charlie's story before? Michael: We've known about it for all my time in the job, but also prior to that, because of his needs and actions with my friends in Western Australia. So it's not uncommon, and it's not unknown story in the Aboriginal community. Paulien Roessink: I'm speaking to Michael because his work involves helping Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders veterans to get recognition for their work. Michael: My, my definition of a hero is extraordinary, ordinary people doing extraordinary things. And Uncle Charlie has done that, although we all think we would do the same in the situation. He did. Paulien: He got the recognition from the Dutch government, not from the Australian Government. Why is it? Do you think? Michael: I think because they just didn't want to acknowledge Aboriginal people could do that. They were in the midst of the White Australia Policy and the protector of Aborigines, and to be seen to recognize Aboriginal people as human and as equals is against their policies. And so I think it was a denial by the Australian Government to deliberately refuse the recognition because he was Aboriginal. It's racist policy, and it was a rep, a repeat of what they were trying to do is make the Aboriginal people less than Paulien: So you think if he was a white man, he would have got, got on a medal. Paulien Roessink: I wanted to know from Michael why it was so important to recognise the service of First Nations people. Michael: The more we share the story of Aboriginal service, the more people get to understand that we were actually indeed there despite the restrictions on Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander service, men and women being exempt from service, our men and women still served. Not only did they serve, they served with equality and dignity and heroism. We can see that that reflects in the records. In the First World War, we have five distinguished combat medals and 26 military medals and other various awards for bravery to our men across that conflict. And as I said, in the Second World War, we have, at the moment, with ongoing research, we have eight Aboriginal men identified for bravery. So the recognition of those deeds by the military need to be reflected in society, but also the recognition of that we served in a time when we weren't allowed to needs to be recognized. To look for our men, looking for a path to dignity and inclusiveness, and also that path to citizenship, where it was advertised to our men and women, come and join the army, you'll be a better chance of becoming a citizen because we weren't classed as citizens so that unequal society is not reflected in our service, and it never got reflected in our service, but we don't. We need to tell the story of again, of the neglect of that recognition during the periods in which the men who fought in these wars have served. David: Recognition is important because it affirms that someone's actions really matter. Paulien Roessink: David, the president of the Royal Humane Society, says that recognition can also help in the healing process. David: And for many recipients, particularly those who acted in isolation or dramatic circumstances, formal recognition also provides emotional validation and helps ensure that their bravery is never forgotten. It helps them sometimes with their mental recovery from such a traumatic event. It also offers families colleagues and other communities the way to honor that courage. Especially in cases where the rescuer never spoke of what they did. And we think it's very important to have that recognition and that builds up a community spirit and the sense of helping each other. Paulien Roessink: In the first episode we heard from Dutch survivors Theo Doorman and Josine van Aggelen. Being children at the time of the attack, they both mentioned symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder Theo Doorman: In the boat there were several wounded people. I remember, I also had a sort of cut above my, my eye - and my mother took my handkerchief out of my pocket on the right side, and that was soaked with blood. It definitely made a large effect on me. Certainly, my whole life well, I had nightmares. Josine van Aggelen: I did have a little trauma because I didn't like when people came near me when I was swimming. I had it for a long time and I had to unlearn it by standing in the shower and putting the showerhead on my face. And now I don't suffer from it at all anymore. But it did take a long time. Paulien Roessink: When I came across Uncle Charlie's story, the first thought I had was about the French man who was granted permanent residency after holding off the Bondi Junction stabber with a bollard, in 2024. Why was Uncle Charlie not considered citizenship after such a heroic act, let alone recognised by the government? Over the course of this series, we've learned that the cost of being a hero is the trauma you can be left with. But in Uncle Charlie's case, it comes with an extra cost. For his loved ones, the lack of recognition is a reminder that he was not seen as an equal citizen. Edie, Uncle Charlie's niece, says that this has life-long implications. Edie Wright: At the time in 1942 he was very much controlled by what they call the WA 1905 aborigines Act. Now that act governed every aspect of the lives of Aboriginal people who came under the Act now that meant that they governed. They had total control over where Uncle Charlie lived, if he was allowed to own a property, if he was allowed to own a house, they had total control over who he married, who employed him, what medical facilities he was allowed to go to when he was sick, he only had to go to the native welfare hospitals and even curfew. We're now 83, years on, surely there can be some posthumous recognition of him. You know, they have posthumous recognition of other people. So why not Uncle Charlie? It's closure for the family, because that question of Uncle Charlie was good enough to be recognized by the Dutch and the Humane Society. Why? Why is he, to this day, not good enough to be recognized by our own country? Paulien Roessink: Michael from the War Memorial, also agrees that recognition helps in resolving the pain from these histories. Michael: The more recognition and the more inclusiveness that we can be seen as equals in society, the more it will allow for steps towards reconciliation, because we are the same. We're all human. We all bleed red, and that's what we need to be able to get through to people. Racism is a taught concept if we can look at each other equally from the start, racism doesn't exist, and everybody should be equal. So if our deeds of our old men and our deeds that have gone unrecognized get the recognition, people then will be enabled to see us as equal. Paulien Roessink: This reconciliation is ongoing. But it is happening. In 2017, 2 Wiradjuri men were officially honoured for their bravery more than 160 years after saving 68 people during a flood in Gundagai. So what does posthumous recognition look like? Michael: It's about detailing what actually happened. We're working on a case at the moment for Aboriginal men in Arnhem Land who saves. Survivors of a shot bombed plane with Patricia calm and trying to work that recognition. Everybody knows the story in Arnhem Land, but nobody thought to recognize the bravery of the men to travel the distances across very dangerous waters and lands to bring back help, you know, with a 40 kilometer swim and a canoe and a run to bring back to supplies and help and assistance to the survivors who were kept alive by another Aboriginal man who fed and watered the men while they were waiting for the return. So that's, that's an instant that we know of, and all that has to be done is documented, be documented, and these ongoing recognitions that these deeds did, in fact happen, they're not just oral history that are supported by the Aboriginal men, but the families of the non Indigenous survivors need to stand up and say, if it wasn't for you guys, we wouldn't be Here, such as we have a lot of airplane dancers that remember Aboriginal communities finding down pilots. And recently at borolula, the descendants of the American air crew came back to say, thank you to the boroluna community. If it weren't for you saving our air crew and our descendants, we wouldn't be here. So that recognition needs to continue, and the stories and deeds of Aboriginal people in these acts of heroism need to be told and need to be understood. Paulien: We're now 83, years later. Unfortunately, Uncle Charlie is no longer amongst us. What would it mean if he would get posthumous recognition from the Australian Government? Michael: Well, it would be the Australian government say we acknowledge your efforts. Thank you very much. You have you've worked wonders. It should be us taking the lead and selling talking about we recognize the unequal society that Aboriginal people lived in but let us share these stories. Let us give that new recognition. And I believe he got an updated award in 1992 Uncle Charlie, and there's some images of him with his plaque, but it still wasn't from the Australian Government, and that's when he was still with us, and it was again, unequal recognition from a civilian organization and a foreign government, and our government weren't there, which is so disappointing. Paulien Roessink: For this episode we tried contacting multiple politicians in both state and federal government. Unfortunately, none of them were available. Like our guests, we can all come to our own conclusions as to why Uncle Charlie wasn't recognised. But the reality is, there is no real answer as to why the Australian government stayed silent. When I started this series, I asked what it meant to be recognised. For many of our guests, it means healing. In this case, healing from the destruction that war can leave towns, communities and people with. But also healing from previous government policies. Edie: Me, personally, I would love to see something like the Charles D'Atoine bravery award, something like that, anyone who commits a act of bravery, an act of where they put others first, total selflessness that they awarded. And we have all these awards for other other feats where Australians achieve, you know, why? Why not start with something like that? And even just a certificate from the government posthumously to the family. It's part of that reconciliation. How hard is it to be able to reconcile what uncle Charlie did with now with the values that stack up with being an Australian person, just all in general?It's like this, uncle Charlie, you know, for the government to government to say, we acknowledge what you did 53 years ago as part of an Australian person, as part of a civil, civilian person who has remarkably improved the relationship between the Netherlands and Australia. Paulien Roessink: This is the final episode of 'Uncle Charlie: the invisible hero' - a podcast from SBS Dutch and NITV Radio. I'm your host Paulien Roessink. The NITV Radio team is Kerri-Lee Barry, Alexis Moran and Ngaire Pakai. From SBS Audio, podcast team Joel Supple, Max Gosford and Bernadette Phương Nam Nguyễn. This episode was mixed by Mandy Coolen. Special thanks to Rajish Aryal. Follow this podcast on the SBS Audio app or wherever you get your podcasts.
ABC News
6 hours ago
- ABC News
Federal government investigates Magnetic South's alleged illegal land clearing
The federal government is investigating alleged illegal land clearing at the proposed site of a new coal mine at Dingo in central Queensland. Drone footage taken by the Queensland Conservation Council shows about 200 hectares of land have been cleared since May at the site, 120 kilometres west of Rockhampton. The proposed Gemini Coal Mine would be operated by mining company Magnetic South and have a 25-year life span. Queensland Conservation Council's gas and coal campaigner Charlie Cox said the area was inhabited by endangered species, including greater gliders and koalas. "The proposed mine is kind of between two national parks; it has high biodiversity value," she said. "We were able to put the drone up and see fresh green trees lying on the ground at the site that is proposed at this coal mine." Ms Cox said the mining company had not received approval for the land clearing under the federal government's Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC). A Magnetic South spokesperson said all the work had been done in accordance with the law. "The metallurgical coal project near Dingo in central Queensland takes its environmental obligations seriously and is committed to ensuring that all of its activities are carried out in compliance with applicable state and federal laws, including the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth) and Environmental Protection Act 1994 (Qld)," they said. The spokesperson said all activities were conducted in line with the conditions set by the "not a controlled action (NCA)" guidelines. The term NCA, outlined in the EPBC, reflects an action that is unlikely to have an impact on protected species. The spokesperon also said the company had negotiated a Cultural Heritage Investigation and Management Agreement with Gaangalu Nation People, undertaken Aboriginal cultural heritage surveys before the clearing and collected all the identified artefacts. "Magnetic South … has Gaangalu Nation People field officers onsite when clearing activities take place to confirm there are no additional artefacts that were previously not found being disturbed," they said. A Department of Environment spokesperson said it was investigating the allegations and could not comment further at this stage. "Federal government documents say that it needs to be approved and put through the process, and they said that hasn't happened yet," Ms Cox said. If the company is found to have breached environmental laws, it could result in a penalty of up to $13 million. Traditional owners say they were not informed about the work before it began. Ghungalu woman Zhanae Dodd said traditional owners had been holding ceremonies on country for the past two weeks, after learning about the clearing. "We only became aware a month or so ago, so very recently, and through yarns that my elders had with other people," she said. The Ghungalu community has been fighting for a native title claim for almost 30 years. "Even though we haven't gotten native title, it has still been recognised that we are the traditional custodians of that country," Ms Dodd said. Magnetic South said it valued the relationships with the local community and other stakeholders. The investigation is ongoing.
