Kind-hearted ns have rallied to raise more than $110,000 for the family of a father who was tragically killed in a horrifying crocodile attack.
Dr David Hogbin, 40, died after being snatched by a crocodile in the Annan River, south of Cooktown in Far North Queensland, just after 2pm on Saturday. He had been holidaying in the region with his wife Jane and their three children.
Now, a GoFundMe set up to help his family has attracted $110,070 in donations within just two days of being launched.
The huge sum is more than five times greater than the $20,000 target that was initially set for the fundraiser.
The heartwarming update comes after Dr Hogbin’s devastated loved ones broke their silence on Tuesday to reveal his final act was to heroically save the life of his wife of ten years.
Despite initial reports suggesting that Dr Hogbin had fallen into the water while fishing, a friend said he was actually walking along a path on a 15-metre-high riverbank when a section of the soil suddenly gave way beneath him.
‘Jane, who was nearby but not walking with Dave at the time, heard the splash and slid down to desperately try and pull him out,’ his friend Alex Ward wrote on the fundraiser page.
‘Due to the steepness and slipperiness of the bank, Jane was able to grab his arm but began slipping into the river herself.
‘Dave’s final, decisive act was to let go of Jane’s arm when he realised she was slipping in, an act that likely saved her life. In a world-shattering instant, Dave was taken by the crocodile.’
Mr Ward said initial reports that Dr Hogbin was attacked in front of his children were incorrect, and that none of his three sons saw him fall – a fact that is ‘one small consolation’ for his loved ones.
Mr Ward said his family and friends have been left ‘completely broken’ by the tragedy but feel ‘incredibly lucky’ to have had him in their lives.
He said Dr Hogbin would be remembered for his ‘enthusiasm and cheer’ and his love of 4WD camping adventures.
‘Dave had achieved something that we will all strive to emulate; he realised before it was too late that he had everything he needed in life in his family, friends, and the time they were able to enjoy together,’ Mr Ward said.
‘It was a mutual love and discovery of 4WDing that brought me so close to Dave, and I’m not sure if I can do it without him (which he would scoff at and tell me to get back out there and continue the adventurous legacy he has created for his boys).’
Jane Hogbin said her husband touched so many lives and she wanted to speak out to ‘put a face to this tragedy’.
‘Someone didn’t just get killed by a crocodile, we have lost a wonderful husband, father, son, brother, friend and doctor,’ she told NewsCorp.
‘We were just enjoying a standard day of our holiday and everything just changed within 30 seconds. He wasn’t doing anything wrong – in fact, he was doing everything right, and this still happened.
‘Things can change so quickly in an instant despite doing everything right.’
Dr Hogbin was a general practitioner who has worked at several medical centres in NSW’s Lake Macquarie region. He was currently employed at Jewells Medical Centre.
According to an online profile, his special medical interests included paediatrics and dermatology while in his spare time he enjoyed spending time in the bush, four-wheel-driving and fishing with his children.
After completing his degree at University of Notre Dame in 2014, he worked in real estate and nuclear medicine before taking up a residency at John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle.
The practice manager of Windale Community Medical Centre, where Dr Hogbin was formerly employed, said the community was shaken by his death.
‘We are all still in a lot of shock as we trained him,’ she told the Cairns Post.
‘I have a lot of staff that are struggling at the moment.’
The crocodile was shot and killed by wildlife rangers at 2pm on Monday before the carcass was handed to police and the contents of its stomach examined.
Queensland Police released a statement on Tuesday revealing that human remains had been found inside the predator.
The spot, where Dr Hogbin was attacked, is a well-known habitat for the reptiles.
A Cooktown resident claimed the crocodile had associated people with food as some locals were feeding it roadkill further upstream.
‘People throw roadkill in for it to eat and he could have been sitting there 15ft under the water waiting for a feed,’ they told the Cairns Post.
‘We have had a bit of rain so the bank would be soft and even if he wasn’t near the edge it could have fallen away beneath him.
‘It’s just horrendous and everyone is feeling about the family, to watch that happen in front of you is unthinkable.’
Police declined to comment on speculation that members of the public had been feeding crocodiles in the vicinity.