Derwent Valley Couple Killed in Swiss Helicopter Crash

DERWENT VALLEY COUPLE KILLED IN SWISS HELICOPTER CRASH

By Joy Watson

A Hollow Tree couple have been killed in a helicopter crash in the Swiss Alps, leaving their two young children in the care of family in New Norfolk.

Greg Lahey, 43, a senior civil engineer with the Department of Public Works, and his wife Pip Lahey, 40, a social worker with Family Support Services, were among seven people who died when a sightseeing helicopter came down near the Theodul Glacier above the resort town of Zermatt on Wednesday afternoon, Swiss time.

The couple had left Hobart on Sunday on a three-week holiday through Switzerland, Austria and Germany. Two German couples and the helicopter's Swiss pilot were also killed.

Swiss authorities said yesterday that the cause of the crash was under investigation. Local media in Switzerland have reported that the weather was deteriorating at the time, and that the aircraft may have suffered a mechanical fault. An Australian Embassy spokesperson in Bern confirmed that the families had been informed and that consular staff were providing assistance.

The Laheys' children, Oscar, 12, and Sarah, 9, had been staying with their maternal grandparents, Patrick and Jane Lahey of New Norfolk, while their parents were overseas, and will remain with them.

Colleagues described the couple as deeply committed to the Derwent Valley community. "Greg was the engineer you wanted on a hard job, and the one who'd stop to explain it to the farmer whose paddock it went through," said a Public Works colleague who asked not to be named. A spokesperson for Family Support Services said Mrs Lahey had "kept more families together than anyone will ever know".

The Observer understands that unconfirmed claims have been circulating in Hobart that the couple's trip was connected to confidential government research being carried out in the region. Neither the Department of Public Works nor the Australian Embassy would comment on the claims, and no evidence has been produced to support them. The family declined to comment.

Relatives have asked for privacy. Funeral arrangements will be announced once the couple have been returned to Tasmania.