Swimming great Giaan Rooney posts a touching tribute to Channel 10 star Jesse Baird – despite being unsure of whether it was the right thing to do

Giaan Rooney has paid tribute to Channel 10 star Jesse Baird following his tragic death, although he admitted he “only knew him for 10 hours”.

Baird and her flight attendant boyfriend Luke Davies were allegedly murdered last week in a case that shocked Australia. On Tuesday, New South Wales police found the couple’s bodies stuffed in two surf bags on a rural property 180 kilometers south of Sydney.

NSW Police Senior Constable Beau Lamarre-Condon is alleged to have shot dead the couple at Mr Baird’s property in Paddington, Sydney, at 9.50am last Monday.

The case has led to an outpouring of tributes to the couple – Davies was well-liked by colleagues in the aviation industry, while Baird was making a name for himself as a Network 10 reporter while also working as a goalkeeper referee. in the AFL.

And swimming great Rooney has revealed she worked briefly with Mr Baird during a photo shoot almost two years ago and shared her experience of working with the “cheerful, cheeky and warm” presenter.

“I didn’t know if I should post these photos or not, because I didn’t know Jesse well – in fact, I barely knew him,” she said in a post on Instagram.

“But I decided I would do it because even after just 10 hours of filming together, I realized that Jesse was a warm, caring, life-loving person, and that those people should be recognized for the light they brought to the world. ..

‘I met Jesse on March 27, 2022 on a small plane on the way to Lady Elliot Island. Jesse and his team were there to interview me about an interesting research project that was helping baby corals become more resistant to warming ocean temperatures.

“It wasn’t exactly glamorous: we were under strict time constraints, the weather wasn’t kind and we couldn’t get the snorkel mask marks off our faces, but we both kept saying ‘how lucky we are that this is our job!’

‘To Jesse’s family and friends: I am so sorry… I want you to know that in my brief interactions with Jesse, he was cheerful, cheeky, warm, kind and a great professional.

‘I don’t remember him with anything other than that huge, beautiful smile on his face. The team loved him (a telltale sign of a great team player) and he made my job easier.

‘By the outpouring of love towards Jesse, I hope everyone now knows what a divine soul he was, from what I can understand Luke was one of those too.

‘RIP Jesse and Luke, you left a lasting impression on so many who mourn your senseless deaths, may your souls dance together.’

Following the discovery of the bodies, New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb said detectives were led to the location of the bodies on Tuesday with the help of Lamarre-Condon after he was questioned in jail. Silverwater this morning.

“As a result of that, he provided assistance to the investigation and provided the location of where Luke and Jesse were,” Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty said.

‘At approximately 1:00 pm today, homicide squad detectives responded to a location on Jerrara Road, Bungonia, approximately 20 minutes from the original search location, where they located what they believe to be the remains of Luke and Jesse .

‘Two surf bags were found, and some debris and other items of interest were located.

‘We will allege that he acted alone and that he is the only person responsible for the murders of Luke and Jesse.

“We will allege that he is the only person responsible for placing Luke and Jesse’s bodies at their current location.”