Arabic version: إشادات تكرّم المتنزّهة ليلي هوبر في نيو ساوث ويلز

According to The Guardian, Lily Hooper, 18, has been remembered for her smile, talent and toughness after her body was recovered from dense bush in the NSW Southern Highlands overnight. Hooper had been reported missing eight days earlier, and her body was recovered the night after it was incorrectly communicated that she had been found alive.

Condolences have been offered to Hooper’s family as the local community responds to her death. Her martial arts teacher, Mark Szalajko, paid tribute in a social-media post, describing her as a talented and tough martial artist and “such a lovely person.” He said she was “one of those people who everyone simply liked.”

Szalajko said students come into and leave a dojo for many reasons, but some have a lasting positive effect. “Lily was one of those people,” he said, adding that he would miss her smile, conversations and the moments they shared on the mat.

The Wollondilly Performing Arts Centre and Wollondilly Shire Library have been lit in purple in Hooper’s memory. A vigil is scheduled for Friday evening in Oakdale, where she lived with her family.