By Chase Christensen
The voice of an angel, an athlete, a lifeguard and most importantly - a heart of gold. These were just some of Charlize Zmuda’s shining traits. The Bribie Island community has been rocked by the devastating passing of Charlize Zmuda, who was fatally attacked by a shark at Woorim Beach on the afternoon of February 3, 2025.
Before I continue, I want to let our readers know that Charlize and I were good friends. We went to school together and socialised outside of school as well. I would also like to acknowledge and thank her father, Steven Zmuda, who has approved the writing of this article.
Charlize meant many different things to different people. As a local, you may have seen her on patrol at Woorim Beach or as one of her friends or teachers, you would have been blessed to hear her beautiful singing voice. Charlize excelled at everything she loved doing, even when there were times when she’d say she didn’t like being part of a musical, her friends always knew that deep down she loved being in a key role. This beautiful young vibrant Bribie Island singing sensation was the main character in the St Columban’s College 2023 production of ‘High School Musical’, where she played the starring role of Gabriella Montez. This being just one of her many successes in the musical arts industry.
Charlize, known by some of her closest friends as ‘Char’, was an integral part of the Bribie Island Surf Club. She and the rest of Patrol Group 4 worked together to keep the beach safe for visitors. For good reason, she was one of the most well-known members of the club, with her eagerness to serve the public in an environment that she loved more than anything being a testament of her true passion and dedication.
Charlize was in her final year of school at St Columban’s College in Caboolture. Just three days before her devastating passing, her cohort had celebrated their year 12 formal. As you can imagine, to hear what unfolded just a few days later came as quite a shock to fellow year 12 students. After hearing the devasting news on Monday evening, the furthest thing from students’ minds was a regular school day, with many seniors deciding to take the day off, whilst others only attended school during the morning to lay flowers and framed photos near where Charlize parked her car each day at school.
On the first Sunday morning after the tragedy, fellow students gathered for a sunrise viewing at Woorim Beach, demonstrating how united this close-knit group of students are when it comes to supporting each other. In fact, nearly every afternoon since at least one group of students have hung out between Fourth and Fifth Avenue, where a long line of flowers and memories had been laid in memory of their classmate and friend.
Charlize’s favourite artist was Billie Eilish, who recently performed at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre. Charlize’s favourite song was ‘Wildflower’. To honour and cherish Charlize’s memory, this amazing group of students emailed Eilish’s managers hoping that Billie might perform a tribute to their dear friend during the performance of this song. What they achieved went beyond their wildest dreams and proved to be a truly touching and spectacular sight as the crowd held up their flashlights in memory of Charlize, who could only attend the performance in spirit.
There’s no denying that Charlize was truly loved by her friends, who shared some heart-warming words to describe her - “Charlize lit up every room she entered” and “bought light into everyone’s lives”.
Charlize’s best friend Tianii Rafton knew Charlize better than most people and unfortunately witnessed the tragedy that took place on February 3. It will be a long road of recovery ahead for Tianii and the support for her on platforms like TikTok has been immense. She described her friend as “the most incredible and most talented girl I’ve ever met”, as well as adding that her dearest friend had a “live in the moment” mindset.
The response surrounding this devastating event from the Bribie Island and surrounding communities has been phenomenal. From a vigil attended by thousands to the breathtaking online support for the family and at events like the surf club ‘paddle out’. The response and reaction from locals and others close by being a true testament to the wonderful region we are fortunate enough to live in.
As tough and emotionally challenging as it was to put this story together, my goal was to honour a friend and show everyone what a remarkable person Charlize Zmuda was. Charlize may be gone, however her astonishing life will certainly not be forgotten.
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