Distress beacon borrowing program proposed after teen hiker's death

Distress beacon borrowing program proposed after teen hiker's death In short: Wollondilly Council has promised to establish a bushwalker safety program after the death of 18-year-old hiker Lily Hooper. Mayor Matt Gould said idea for the program, which would include a distress beacon for hikers, was developed in consultation with Ms Hooper's family. What's next? The council will collaborate with NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service on the delivery of the program. A New South Wales council has promised to establish a safety program in honour of Lily Hooper who died during a bushwalk in the NSW Southern Highlands. The 18-year-old's body was found in bushland of the Nattai National Park, near Mittagong, last Thursday after an eight-day search. Almost 1,000 people from multiple agencies took part in the search when she did not return from her solo hike on the Bonnen Pic Walking Trail. The cause of her death is not yet known, but NSW Police have said her body was located a significant distance from the path. Wollondilly Shire Council held a minute's silence at its council meeting on Tuesday afternoon. Mayor Matt Gould said the council would collaborate with NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service to make bushwalking safety equipment more readily available. "I've spoken with Lily's family about how our community might permanently remember her," Cr Gould said during council's ordinary meeting on Wednesday. "Rather than creating a single physical memorial … we will establish a program in Lily's memory where council purchases personal locator beacons and makes them available for residents and bushwalkers to borrow free of charge, alongside practical bushwalking safety information. "A personal locator beacon is something you hope nobody ever needs to activate, but if someone does find themselves in trouble in remote country, having one can make an enormous difference. "My hope is that this becomes a living and practical legacy in Lily's name, something that helps people enjoy the bush safely." Cr Gould also thanked emergency crews involved in the search for Ms Hooper and said there had been an enormous outpouring of community grief. "While most of us never knew Lily personally, I think over the past two weeks, our community has come to understand just how special she was through the people who did," he said. Purple lights, flags lowered Tributes left in memory of Ms Hooper at Oakdale's Willis Park, south west of Sydney, have been carefully collected after the town was hit by wet weather. With the support of her family, council staff gathered some of the cards and signs on Monday to protect them from rain. The items have been passed on to the Hoopers, with the memorial space to remain open to the community until Friday. Just hours after Ms Hooper's body was found, Wollondilly Performing Arts Centre was lit up purple and the council chamber's flags flown at half mast. Ms Hooper's former school, Campelltown Performing Arts High School, posted an online tribute, describing their 2025 graduate as a kind, humorous and respectful young woman. "[She] lit up every room with her infectious smile, positive energy and determination to live life to the full," the post read. "This loss has had a significant impact on our students, staff and wider school community." Meanwhile, a fundraiser organised by the Rotary Club of Wollondilly North in support of the Hooper family has raised a growing $30,000. State government honour NSW Premier Chris Minns on Monday promised to work with Ms Hooper's family on a special tribute to honour her. Her father, Jim Hooper, told 7NEWS he would like the flag on the Sydney Harbour Bridge lowered as she worked as a Bridge Climb tour guide. "I want to talk with them and work on it together, but we'll do something special for Lily and frankly it's the least we can do," Mr Minns said. "It's a terrible life lost and it's a lovely family." NSW Deputy Premier Prue Car said on Sunday the government was open to reviewing safety signage in national parks to prevent deaths like Ms Hooper's. "We are open to ideas on that. We are constantly saying to people, 'Try and get your kids off their phones and into nature,' but we have to make sure we are making that are safe as possible," she said. The comments come just days after Mr Minns vowed to apologise in person to Ms Hooper's family after he told parliament their daughter was found alive. "I'm also absolutely devastated and profoundly sorry that anything I said may have added to the grief that that family has gone through," Mr Minns said on Friday. Emergency services are examining whether a miscommunication about a police code may have led to Ms Hooper being incorrectly identified as alive. A coronial investigation is also underway.