THE family of a Kent-born woman killed in a plane crash in Australia have paid tribute to an adventurous character who lived life to the full.

Sue Williams, 49, was one of five people who died when a single-engine Brisbane Skydiving Centre plane crashed into a dam near Willowbank, Australia.

She had been preparing to make a free-fall parachute jump when the plane went down earlier this month.

Mrs Williams, nee Blackwell, grew up in Derby Road, Maidstone, where her parents, Ron and Rita Blackwell still live. She was the eldest of four children.

Mrs Williams attended Oldborough Manor Community School, Maidstone, ran for Medway Athletic Club and was the former Kent County 800m champion. She was born in Bromley.

She and her husband, Major John Williams, married in 1977 at St Peter’s Church, Boughton Monchelsea.

Major Williams, whose parents ran The Bull Inn pub in the village of Linton, near Maidstone, said: “Anyone that met her wouldn’t be surprised to hear she was doing something a bit crazy. She was an absolute one-off.

“Nothing in the world will bring her back but how lucky was I to have known her for all those years?”

Her brother, Roy Blackwell, said: “She was full of life and ready to give anything a go. On Boxing Day she went swimming in shark-infested waters.

“She lived life to the full and you always looked forward to her visits because you knew they would be filled with fun.”

He said he remembered one occasion when Mrs Williams put curry powder in his bed and a melted Mars bar in his sock drawer.

“That was the way she was - full of fun. I’m going to miss her like nothing else,” he added.

She and her family had been living on the outskirts of the Kokoda Barracks in Australia for 18 months as part of her husband’s armed forces exchange.

She also leaves a son, Carl, 20, and a daughter, Jo, aged 16, who will return to Australia with their father for a further year.