Tragic death of elderly man, 78, stuck in a tiny freezing caravan for months waiting for Queensland’s borders to reopen so he could move into his son’s home just 50km away
- An elderly man has died in his caravan waiting for Queensland border to open
- He wanted to relocate to live with his son just 50km away in Stanthorpe
- Queensland Health said he submitted an exemption application but withdrew it
An elderly man who was hoping to relocate from NSW to southern Queensland has died after waiting in a caravan for the border to open for three months.
The man, 78, had been living in the caravan with his wife and daughter in the northern NSW town of Tenterfield and wanted to move just 50km further north to live with his son in Stanthorpe.
The man, whose name has not been released, is understood to have been stressed and confused about the border requirements.
He reportedly submitted a travel exemption application last month but then withdrew it shortly after.
The Queensland border has been slammed shut to NSW residents since July 2021 with border checkpoints in place (pictured)
Queensland Premier Annatsacia Palaszczuk (pictured) wants to raise the vaccine rate in Queensland before she allows the border to open
The man and his family had first stayed at the local showgrounds before moving to a caravan park and had been living in the cramped space for 14 weeks
It is not known how the man died but emergency services confirmed they attended the site on November 22 and performed CPR assisted by members of the public.
Fellow caravan park resident Susan Hosking says she has also been stuck waiting for the border to re-open after visiting her partner’s sick relative in Victoria.
‘It’s a sad thing because it’s just somebody who needed to get across the border to be with his family,’ Ms Hosking told the Courier Mail.
‘(He) was so close and now he won’t ever get back there, he won’t be there for Christmas,’ she said.
Queensland Opposition Leader David Crisafulli said the incident was ‘harrowing and hard to fathom’.
Opposition leader David Crisafulli (pictured) said the man’s situation was ‘hard to fathom’
‘It’s difficult to comprehend what his family is going through right now or how this could happen… I have said all along you can be safe and compassionate.’
The man is understood to have been a carer for his wife and daughter, aged 71 and 55, and they have both since been granted an exemption to cross the border.
Queensland Health said their exemption team had communicated with the man more than once to progress his application but it was withdrawn at his request.
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