Charlene O’Sullivan: A Powerful Advocate for Crocodile Safety
In 2025 I had the personal privilege of meeting Charlene O’Sullivan in Northern Australia.
Image: Charlene O'SULLIVAN (Captured during interview Wild Creek).
In 2009 Charlene's 11 year old daughter, Briony Goodsell, lost her life in a crocodile attack at a wet season creek in the Black Jungle Reserve. It was a tragic incident that remains in the memory of many locals, let alone Charlene and Briony's family.
I could particularly relate to this incident because less than seven years earlier I was one of many Territory teenagers swimming in wet season creeks and culverts alongside the roads around Humpty Doo. It was something that was commonplace back then and certainly not something I would ever do again today. We'd jump into flooded creeks, float hundreds of metres downstream on tubes, climb out, walk back upstream and do it all over again. Neither we nor our parents thought twice about it.
Meeting Charlene 17 years after the incident was insightful. The moment she stepped out of her ute to greet me, I could immediately tell she was a person full of life and incredible strength.
We sat down over a coffee and Charlene recalled the events of 2009 and how they have shaped her life ever since.
I could have listened to Charlene for several more hours. She spoke with remarkable strength and clarity about her lived experience and, without question, is one of the most powerful advocates for crocodile safety I have ever met. It goes without saying that she has endured something few people could ever comprehend.
One message in particular stayed with me. Charlene emphasised that life is for living and not to sweat the small things. Despite everything she has been through, she doesn't believe people should live in fear. As she put it, something as small as a tick could be responsible for your undoing, let alone a large apex predator like a crocodile.
Charlene now operates BA Crocs in memory of her daughter Briony and continues to share an important message about crocodile safety. She regularly comes across people swimming in wet season creeks and will often pull over to speak with them, sharing her family's story in the hope it might prevent another tragedy.
Image: Briony Goodsell (Supplied C.O'SULLIVAN)
One person Charlene speaks highly of is crocodile ranger Tommy Nichols, who was one of the attending officers at the scene in 2009. She remembers the support Tommy provided during those difficult days and has great respect for the work carried out by the Parks and Wildlife crocodile management team today.
Image supplied by Charlene for publication.
Author – Art Director Wild Creek.