This very sad tale from 1962, on IFL Science provides some much needed perspective for the story, described here, of the lost radioactive capsule.

The capsule recently lost in Australia since been recovered; the events in 1962 had a much more unhappy outcome.

The radioactive capsule found in 1962 contained Cobalt-60 which, like the Caesium-137 capsule lost in Australia, emits beta radiation, which produces Nickel-60, which then decays by emitting gamma rays. The capsule ended up being removed from its lead container, and was eventually placed in a kitchen drawer. Within a few months the boy (10), his sister (2), his mother and grandmother all died; only the father survived because he spent a large amount of time out of the house (at work), and very little time in the kitchen where the radioactive source was stored.

These events could easily have been repeated in Australia, and proper information from the press would have gone a long way to reducing the risk to the population.