One of the three people who died in a series of drownings along the New South Wales coast has been identified as Melissa Austin, a Sydney hairdresser and mother whose death has left her community devastated.
Surf Life Saving crews carried out more than 85 rescues between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day as dangerous surf pounded the coastline. Conditions were so hazardous that about 70 beaches across the state were forced to close on Thursday.
Austin, from Berowra Heights, died at Dunbogan Beach in Camden Haven on the Mid North Coast. Members of the public tried to save her before emergency services arrived, but the 45 year old could not be revived. Her salon in Sydney’s north remained closed on Friday as news of her death spread.
Her friend Brett Nipper said the loss had shaken the entire community. He described her as a beloved local figure who touched the lives of everyone around her. He said she was part of the fabric of Berowra and that she would be deeply missed.
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