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Beloved Australian Youth Pastor Killed by Shark While Spearfishing

By Liz Lykins
luke walford
Luke Walford, a school chaplain and youth pastor in Queensland, Australia, died after being attacked by a shark (Photo: Cathedral of Praise Church/Facebook)

A beloved youth pastor in Queensland, Australia, died after being attacked by a shark on Saturday, local police reported.

Luke Walford, a youth pastor at Cathedral of Praise Church in North Rockhampton, Queensland, was bitten on the neck by a shark, a Queensland Ambulance spokesperson told 9news.com.au.

Walford, 40, was spearfishing in the waters off of Keppel Islands around 4:30 p.m. when the incident occurred, police said.

The bite caused “life-threatening injuries,” and a helicopter was sent to the scene with a medical team on board. Despite paramedics’ efforts, Walford passed away just before 6 p.m., police said.

Cathedral of Praise shared the tragic news on its Facebook late Saturday evening.

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shark attack church
Cathedral of Praise Church in Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia. (Photo via social media)

“He was attacked by a shark while doing something he loved—spearfishing, a passion that was passed down to him by his father,” the church wrote. Walford had often shared photos of his spearfishing trips on his Facebook page.

The church shared that Luke had worked there for around a decade and made “incredible contributions” as a member of the staff.

“He was truly a beloved figure, especially among our young people, children, and the entire congregation,” the church continued. “We know that Luke is now with the Lord, resting in His presence because of God’s exceedingly great and precious promises. Luke was a man who truly loved God and loved people.”

Walford first started working at the church in 2015, according to the pastor’s profile on the church’s website. He led the church’s program Praise Kids starting in 2016 and then became the youth pastor in 2022.

The website described Walford as a “God honoring man” who had an infectious “enthusiasm and energy” to serve others.

Walford is survived by his wife, Kayelene Walford, who also works at Cathedral of Praise Church, the post said. Additionally, the church asked for prayer for Luke Walford’s mother.

Just a few weeks prior to this, Walford’s mother lost her husband, Simon, who is Luke’s father.

Shark attacks are rare, expert says

Walford was fishing in the Keppel Islands, which are a popular spot for camping, diving and snorkeling, according to 9news.com.au.

These islands are located in the southern section of the Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef system, receiving around 2.24 million visitors a year, according to the Australian Government.

Saturday’s attack was in an area well-known for marine life, University of the Sunshine Coast shark ecologist Johan Gustafson told ABC Australia.

The eastern edge of the reef is known as a “major shark highway,” Gustafson said.

Sharks are attracted to the smell of blood and the stress signals sent out by speared, hooked, or injured fish, he added.

However, he said shark attacks are extremely rare. “You’re going to die by coconut more often than you are going to die by a shark attack,” he noted.

luke walford australia
Luke Walford (Video screengrab)

In the last 10 years, Australia has averaged around 20 shark incidents a year, according to the Australian Shark Incident Database. On average, 2-3 of these incidents are fatal.

In 2023, four people passed away from shark bites, the database reported.

Before Walford, the last fatal attack to occur in Central Queensland happened in 2020, ABC Australia reported.

Walford was beloved by his church

Online, many are mourning the sudden loss of Walford.

On Cathedral of Praise Church’s Facebook post, hundreds have commented condolences or prayers for his family.

Daniel Frost shared that he knew Walford his whole life. He said Walford always knew how to make students feel cared for and noted.

“When I was a teen, he regularly took me and other youth boys to the skate park to share devotions and hang out. We would watch as he’d go evangelize to others there,” Frost wrote.

He continued, “We opened his car boot one time and there were bags of empty beer bottles in there. We joked because we knew he didn’t drink. . . He had spent the afternoon cleaning up the park after everyone.”

Frost said Walford taught him guitar and how to fully worship God.

cathedral of praise
Worship service at Cathedral of Praise Church in Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia. (Photo via social media)

Church member Lloyd Moloney called Walford the “most generous person I have ever met.”

Moloney said the pastor gave away his time freely and went out of his way to love others fully.

“Twelve years ago, Luke was a big reason I found myself planted at (the church). His infectious well spring of joy certainly told me it was a place of truth and love,” Moloney said. “I know I could certainly be a little more like Luke!”

Another church member, Marc Ilgen, said that Walford was a “quiet person with a strong faith and a deep commitment to the Lord.”

“He loved the work of the Lord, and I would see his eyes sparkle when asked a question about the children’s church,” Ilgen shared. “A kind and caring man. Well done, Luke. You ran a great race and left a beautiful example for other young men to follow.”

Liz Lykins is a correspondent covering religion news for The Roys Report, WORLD Magazine, and other publications.

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4 Responses

  1. Sorry Julie but spearfishing, fishing with hooks, bludgeoning fish and other animals to death that have been caught in nets are some of the cruelest ways of hunting! As for shooting of animals – especially huge animals – they don’t die immediately but are tortured to death!! Hey I like meat too but I believe there is a humane way of killing and such methods are terrible. So I really don’t feel sorry for people who die such deaths or the for the death of people who indulge in such cruel games – good pastor or not! I don’t think we should cover up the cruelty by highlighting on how good he was as a pastor. As a pastor he is supposed to be better than the people in the pews! We are to follow our leader in the faith Jesus Christ and He fished with nets. Also the one time hook is mentioned – is when Simon was told to collect the coin for tax purposes. Eating is NOT a necessity especially in these days when we live in a world that has ALL foods available in markets. If there comes a dearth for food – then okay I can understand. You do great work Julie but we must cover ALL of God’s creation. He cares even when animals, birds, creatures other than man, are in pain!

    1. Shally, I am tempted to justifiably counter many of your points above, but I’ve decided it is not worth the effort, due to the following that you felt the need to include:

      “So I really don’t feel sorry for people who die such deaths….”

    2. “Eating is NOT a necessity especially in these days when we live in a world that has ALL foods available in markets. ”

      Eating is a necessity, we die unless we consume food.

      BTW, just because you buy your food, does not absolve you from what happened to that animal/fish to be prepared for your consumption. There is not such thing as “humane” animal food processing, they all suffer in some way, the goal is to make the animals execution as painless as possible. At least this man (and most hunters/fishermen I know) took (take) personnel responsibility for the death/preparation for some of the food he was (they are) eating.

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