Darwin Botanic Gardens’ tree death: Tragic story of young woman, 28, killed by falling branch after moving to Australia with her husband three months ago

A young woman tragically killed by a falling tree branch had moved to Australia just three months earlier.

Angelique De Wet, 28, and her husband Collin de Wet, 33, were walking through the George Brown Botanic Gardens in Darwin on Sunday afternoon when they were hit by a falling monkey tree branch.

Ms De Wet died at the scene while Mr De Wet was rushed to Royal Darwin Hospital with serious injuries.

The couple, who are from South Africa, moved to Darwin in August after Mr. De Wet was granted a visa to work in the Northern Territory at an engineering consultancy.

“My heart is broken,” Ms De Wet’s uncle Willie Bezuidenhout wrote online.

“Just a few months ago you called and said how happy you and Colin were coming to Darwin to make a living in Australia, and now you’re gone.”

‘I will miss you very much. You were still very young and this is too soon.

Angelique De Wet, 28, and her husband Collin de Wet, 33, were hit by a falling tree branch in Darwin on Sunday.

‘Why are the most beautiful souls taken so early?’

Mr Bezuidenhout, Ms De Wet’s only relative living in Australia, said she had an ‘adventurous spirit and zest for life’.

‘Angelique was more than just a lucky lady; she was a beacon of joy and positivity to those who were lucky enough to know her,” he told her NT News.

“Her infectious laugh, warm smile and kind-hearted nature endeared her to many and her memory will be forever etched in the hearts of those whose lives she touched.”

Ms De Wet’s mother Magda Odendaal paid tribute to her daughter in a heartbreaking post as she sent her love to her son-in-law, who remains in a stable condition in hospital.

“My child, mother is speechless,” she said.

“Now you are an angel. The most beautiful angel there is.

‘Mommy will miss you so much every day.

Angelique De Wet has been remembered as a ‘beacon of joy’ by her devastated loved ones

The couple are pictured on their wedding day in March 2021 at African Oceans Manor on the Beach

“Collin, son, please be strong.”

Mr De Wet is believed to have suffered multiple fractures and has undergone surgery.

The South African Consulate has been advised and is assisting the family.

Photos posted online show the couple bursting with joy on their wedding day in March 2021 as they exchanged vows by the beach at the luxury resort, African Oceans Manor, in South Africa’s Mossel Bay.

The pair wore tartan pajama bottoms, bed slippers and black shirts as they tied the knot in an abbreviated Covid ceremony, with only the celebrant, photographer and a witness present.

Acting Commander Peter Kennon said on Monday morning several passers-by witnessed the terrifying incident and rushed to the couple’s aid.

He said it was a ‘confronting’ scene but ‘everyone’ nearby offered help.

An NT Parks and Wildlife spokeswoman confirmed the tree involved in the incident was an enterolobium cyclocarpum, commonly known as a monkey tree.

The couple were visiting the George Brown Botanic Gardens (pictured) when tragedy struck

She said regular tree audits were held in all the Territory’s parks and reserves, with the Botanic Gardens last assessed in December 2022.

She said the tree was not identified as high risk, however, other high risk trees were removed following the inspection.

She said the department will contact an outside arborist to prepare a report on the monkey ear trees to assess any additional safety concerns.

Ms De Wet’s death comes after Darwin’s husband William Brown was killed by a falling tree branch while playing golf in 2014, leading to the immediate removal of the tree and an inquest into his death.

George Brown Botanic Gardens was closed on Sunday following the tragedy and remains closed until further notice.