By Jo Knowsley
Pictures: Oscar Kornyei
Steve and Sharon Doble were overwhelmed by grief when their five-year-old son Jeremy was taken by a crocodile. In this moving interview they reveal what happened on that tragic day, and why they don’t want the croc destroyed.
When Sharon and Steve Doble moved to the Daintree Rainforest five years ago, they were in search of a better life for themselves and their two young sons. They believed this piece of paradise in Far North Queensland would put their boys beyond the dangers of the modern world.
But, on February 8 this year, their dreams were shattered. Their younger son Jeremy, just five years old, was taken by a crocodile in the family’s backyard as he played with his seven-year-old brother Ryan and their boxer dog Champ, in less than 40 centimetres of water.
Yet as they battle their grief, Steve, 40, and Sharon, 39, both originally from Perth, are determined that their elder son will continue to love and respect Australia’s sometimes deadly wildlife.
Speaking exclusively to Woman’s Day, Steve says, “Do we wish we had never moved to the area? No. Accidents happen anywhere, at any time. We loved Jeremy and his memory will live with us for ever. The most we can wish is that this dreadful accident had never happened.”
Steve wears a pendant of a scorpion that Jeremy had bought just before he died. He carries his son’s tiny T-shirt tucked in the pocket of his shorts as he works around the property, to help carry memories of “the little shadow who is no longer there”.
The family sees Jeremy’s favourite wildlife — blue Ulysses butterflies — every day. In their home, the young boy’s painting of a sunrise adorns a calendar. There are photographs of Jeremy and Ryan playing together, and of the boys with their parents on treasured family outings, everywhere. Yet memories of the fateful day their son was taken remain indelibly etched on their minds.
For the full story, see this week’s Woman’s Day — on sale May 18, 2009.
