Boating tragedy: Tributes flow for Derby man Paul Norris who ‘gave all’ for his town

Tributes have flowed for a Derby man whose body was found after his boat capsized in a Kimberley creek on Sunday afternoon, with community leaders fondly remembering the man who “gave all for the town”. Paul Norris, 51, was the skipper of a vessel which overturned in Airport Creek, 5km from Derby, while five people were onboard on Sunday afternoon. The four passengers were found by a search helicopter walking through the marsh on Sunday night, and authorities on Monday morning revealed they had found a body believed to be that of Mr Norris. Two of the passengers found were Mr Norris’ daughters, 12-year-old Bethany Norris and eight-year-old Arianna Norris, who walked hand in hand through the mud for hours with no shoes and no water. Residents of the small West Kimberley town took to social media to remember Mr Norris, with one well-known angler posting an photo with an Emu Export can in front of the Derby Wharf. “Salute ‘Geezer’ you funny Pommy Bugger,” the tribute said. “So incredibly sad! My heart goes out to the girls and all the family,” another said. Mr Norris’ partner and mother of their two children Pene Brown took to Facebook stating her heart was “shattered.” “A phone call from Norris... Boats capsized in Airport Creek send help... He then took his last breath saving his babies,” she said. “My hero, Beth... pulled her sister out of the water and her next words were, ‘mummy I couldn’t reach daddy.’ “She saw her daddy disappear... He was a strong swimmer but the tidal flow got him.” Ms Brown sincerely thanked the Derby community for their support. “I’m so thankful for this town, they did not stop searching until they brought my babies home,” she said. Speaking to the Broome Advertiser, Shire of Derby-West Kimberley president Geoff Haerewa, who joined the search party on Monday morning, said the news had devastated the community. “We’re a small town, so whenever something like this happens it really hits us hard,” he said. “But Paul especially was a very well-known and respected member of our Derby community, he spent hours volunteering around town and was known by everyone as a friendly and lovable guy. “He gave his all for the town.” Authorities were alerted to the capsized vessel at about 1.45pm Sunday, with police immediately conducting an air and water search around the tidal creek. At about 5.40pm the helicopter spotted the boat about 17km south of where it capsized. Footprints in the mud led authorities to the four passengers — a man, a woman and two girls. All four were taken to Derby Hospital as a precaution as the search continued for Mr Norris. Mr Norris’ family have been advised of the development and a report will be prepared for the coroner.