Australian Family Fundraises to Search for Missing Wife in Nepal Flood

A family from Australia is fundraising to travel to Nepal to join the search for Renee, a missing woman who was at Gyirong Port minutes before devastating floods struck the area. The floods, which occurred in one of the hardest-hit regions of Nepal, have left many displaced and in need of aid. Renee's partner, Shaun, an emergency nurse, and their two daughters, Lily and Ruby, are eager to travel to the port to search for her, despite the grim odds.

Renee, a disability support worker from the Sunshine Coast, had arrived at Gyirong Port just 10 minutes before the flood hit. The area was completely flattened by the disaster, with buildings and power lines wiped away. Shaun wants to travel to the port to try to find any signs of her, and their daughters insist on accompanying him.

Clair Spry, Renee's sister, has set up a GoFundMe to fund their travel. "Their first reaction is, we have to go," Spry said. "The practicalities, and what can actually be done in the first few days, it hasn't been possible [to enter the area], but they still want to go. And if they are able to find her, to bring her home."

Renee's family understands the dire situation and the low likelihood of her survival, but they hold onto hope until they know for certain. "Everyone's very realistic. We know how bad this was and where she was," Spry said. "But until they find her, everyone's got this little slither of hope that maybe she's stuck somewhere and can't get out, or she's injured."

Renee was in Nepal on a pilgrimage. Spry described her sister as a "deeply spiritual" person who loved to help others. "She had two degrees, and she chose to do something that was... a completely selfless vocation," Spry said. "Her priority was always other people."

The family of Michael Keats, another Australian who was near the Tibet-Nepal border when the flash flooding began, confirmed his death on social media. Keats had been on a pilgrimage to Mt Kailash, a dream he had held for many years. His wife, Emily Boyd, described him as a mystic, a medicine man, and a teacher who touched many lives.

The floods in Nepal have left many in need of aid, and Renee's family hopes to focus attention on the impact of the climate crisis on the world's most economically vulnerable populations. "This is something the poorest people of the world are affected by," Spry said. "It's not the New Yorkers, it's the people who are in these parts of the world."

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