Friends are remembering a young boy who drowned at Flynns Beach on Saturday December 16 as a ‘sporty kid who loved being active’.
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The Flynns Beach headland was crowded for most of Sunday as family, friends and locals watched on as emergency services sought to retrieve the young boy’s body from the surf.
The boy, a student at Wauchope High School and member of the Wauchope Junior Rugby League community, went swimming at the popular beach on Saturday. He was with a two other friends.
Friends of the boy said they had come down to the headland on Sunday to pay their respects.
“We have known the family for a while now and our son played sport with him, so we wanted to come down and pay our respects,” said one person who did not want to be named.
“It is awful what happened.
“Two young boys drowning on our beaches in two weeks, is simply tragic,” the onlooker said.
A number of visibly upset people brought flowers and balloons to the beach in remembrance of the boy.
According to Mid North Coast Local Area Command’s Inspector Guy Flaherty, all three got into difficulty in the surf.
“A search continued overnight Saturday and a full retrieval operation was mounted on Sunday.”
Inspector Flaherty confirmed that the search will continue on Sunday until last light before resuming on Monday morning, if required.
Flynns Beach remains closed during the operation.
The retrieval operation was assisted by police, Marine Rescue Port Macquarie, SES, divers, lifeguards and the Westpac Rescue Helicopter.
A Mid North Coast Local Health District spokesperson confirmed a 16 year old boy was admitted to Port Macquarie Base Hospital on Saturday afternoon, but was released shortly after.