A candlelight vigil has been held for 18-year-old Lily Hooper as her loved ones and community grapple with the devastating loss.<\/p>\n
The Oakdale teen was found dead in an isolated part of Nattai National Park on Thursday, more than a week after she failed to return home from a solo hike.<\/p>\n
The tragedy has sparked an outpouring of grief across the nation and shattered the young woman\u2019s local community.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeautiful Lily, may your soul rest peacefully \u2026 May your family find solace and comfort in knowing that you passed from this world doing what you loved to do and being with nature \u2013 you certainly touched the hearts of our Camden & Wollondilly communities,\u201d one resident wrote on social media. <\/p>\n
\u201cLily, you will always be remembered for the love and joy you brought to our community, your memory will live on in our hearts and minds,\u201d another said. <\/p>\n
Members of her community turned out to a candlelight vigil in Willis Park on Friday evening, barely 24 hours after learning of the devastating loss.<\/p>\n
\u201cA community coming together to support the Hooper family through this devastating time. Rest easy, fly high and shine bright Lily,\u201d one commenter wrote on social media following the event. <\/p>\n
Wollondilly Mayor Matt Gould said the plans had been made as a way to \u201cshow love and support\u201d for her grieving family.<\/p>\n
\u201cHundreds and hundreds of candles, lights and flowers now fill Willis Park in memory of Lily,\u201d Mr Gould wrote on social media.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe community memorial will remain open all weekend and anyone who would like to visit, leave some flowers or add a light for Lily is welcome to come down at any time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Hooper\u2019s alma mater Campbelltown Performing Arts High School shared a message to their community remembering the 18-year-old, who graduated less than 12 months ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cLily will be remembered by our school as a kind, humorous and respectful young woman who lit up every room with her infectious smile, positive energy and determination to live life to its fullest,\u201d the school\u2019s statement read.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was, and will always remain, a deeply valued member of our school community.<\/p>\n
\u201cMay Lily\u2019s light continue to live on in all of us who were fortunate enough to know her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Classmates, teachers and school community members also paid tribute.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh Lily you sweet darling, we are going to miss you dearly. You will always be part of our school and deep in our hearts,\u201d one commenter wrote.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope I inspired you even a fraction as much as you\u2019ve inspired me. I am so proud of the woman you became and will always remember your light. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou are so loved my musical angel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMay your light always shine bright beautiful Lily,\u201d another said.<\/p>\n
Among the outpouring of grief and support for Ms Hooper\u2019s family was a fundraiser organised by Wollondilly\u2019s rotary club.<\/p>\n
The campaign, it has been announced, has already exceeded $16,500.<\/p>\n
Lily\u2019s family holds \u2018no anger\u2019<\/p>\n
Jim Hooper, Ms Hooper\u2019s father, responded to the heartbreaking communication breakdown following the discovery of her body earlier this week.<\/p>\n
Coded messages between emergency agencies led to Ms Hooper\u2019s family believing, for eight jubilant minutes, that she had been found alive.<\/p>\n
The miscommunication widely spread, even reaching NSW Premier Chris Minns, who announced it to parliament.<\/p>\n
But elation soon turned to deflation after the code was relayed and the tragic reality became clear \u2013 Ms Hooper had died.<\/p>\n
Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon has since apologised for the miscommunication.<\/p>\n
7News reported Mr Hooper issued a statement saying he holds \u201cno anger\u201d following the mix-up.<\/p>\n
The grieving father said he remained grateful for the lengths that rescue parties, including NSW Police and volunteers from the SES, went to try and recover his daughter.<\/p>\n
\u2018Profoundly sorry\u2019<\/p>\n
Earlier on Friday, NSW Premier Chris Minns offered apologies for his role in the spread of false news that she had been found alive and well.<\/p>\n
And NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon blamed \u201cchallenging\u201d communication conditions for the mistaken news. <\/p>\n
She was found dead in an isolated part of the NSW Southern Highlands shortly before midday on Thursday, with police confirming on Friday morning her body had been recovered overnight.<\/p>\n
But a communication error led NSW Premier Chris Minns and others to declare she had been found alive.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wish we could go back and that wasn\u2019t the case, but we\u2019ll certainly learn from it and get better,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cCan I say from time to time, particularly when we are searching in remote locations, communication can be challenging.\u201d<\/p>\n
Both Mr Lanyon and Mr Minns acknowledged the grief the Hooper family were experiencing in the aftermath of such an \u201cunfortunate\u201d ordeal. <\/p>\n
\u201cI can only imagine, as a parent, what Lily\u2019s parents are going through in our deepest sympathies are with her family,\u201d Mr Lanyon said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will continue to work closely with the family.\u201d<\/p>\n
A \u201cprofoundly sorry\u201d Mr Minns said he would personally apologise to the family of the young hiker after mistakenly sharing news the 18-year-old had been found alive. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m absolutely devastated and profoundly sorry that anything I said may have added to the grief that family has gone through,\u201d Mr Minns said on Friday. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m profoundly sorry that happened, and I know the Police Commissioner and myself, the government, will do everything we can to ensure that there are strong protocols in place when it comes to informing government agencies, the family, and the media about the latest up to date, accurate information.\u201d<\/p>\n
The communication error led to several media outlets prematurely publishing articles, bulletins and blog posts revealing the teen had been found alive as well as Mr Minns announcing the \u201cfantastic news\u201d in the middle of a lengthy budget estimates hearing on Thursday.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got some fantastic news, Mr chair. Lily Hooper has been found alive,\u201d Mr Minns said.<\/p>\n
Minutes later, the Premier received another note with a grim update.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve got some terrible news, and I apologise to the committee but it seems as if the early advice was wrong, and Lily\u2019s body has been found \u2026 she\u2019s been found deceased,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
During a press conference after the incident, NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Joseph Cassar said Ms Hooper\u2019s body was found a significant distance from where her car had been parked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI cannot give you the exact distance but I can tell you that it was not on a clear, walkable track,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat will form part of the brief for the coroner, but it was some significant distance away from where the vehicle was parked.\u201d<\/p>\n
Later on Thursday, Mr Lanyon offered his \u201cunashamed\u201d apology to Ms Hooper\u2019s family, blaming the error on a \u201cmiscommunication\u201d between those who discovered her body and those tasked with relaying information further up the pipeline.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a parent, I can\u2019t conceive the unimaginable grief they are going through,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSadly, this morning there was a miscommunication when Lily\u2019s body was found.<\/p>\n
\u201cI unashamedly apologise for any additional trauma that may have caused Lily\u2019s family, and certainly for the embarrassment and confusion that caused.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Hooper, an experienced hiker, was first reported missing late on August 12 after she failed to return to her home in southwestern Sydney from a planned hike along the Bonnum Pic hiking trail in Nattai National Park.<\/p>\n
Stretching more than 17km through dense scrub and up along a vast, sweeping plateau, the Bonnum Pic trail is described as a barely visible, densely overgrown and difficult to navigate path. <\/p>\n
Ms Hooper\u2019s cause of death is yet to be confirmed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A candlelight vigil has been held for 18-year-old Lily Hooper as her loved ones and community grapple 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