GoFundMe for father of boy who drowned in Koah septic tank

A fundraiser has been launched for a father who lost his son in a septic tank incident with the campaign’s organiser highlighting his commitment to volunteering.

A FUNDRAISING campaign has been launched by a community in mourning to help “take the load” off a father who lost his young son to a tragic drowning.

Three-year-old Tiwanaku Pineamine Taiapa drowned in a septic tank at Koah on January 2, leaving dad Glenn Taiapa lost for words.

Mr Taiapa was living and working in Mackay when the news broke, and on Monday joined the Cairns Maori community to perform a Haka on the Esplanade to farewell his beloved boy.

The heartbreaking news also saddened Mr Taiapa’s friends in the Mackay Whitsundays region, who have since organised a GoFundMe for the part-time DJ, who is a “big part of” of the Airlie Beach Festival of Music.

Fellow festival participant and friend of Mr Taiapa, Paula Hovey said the goal was to raise $10,000.

“Glenn has lost is income, he’s up in Cairns for how long, so just to help him with accommodation, look after his daughter and get support and counselling,” she said.

“It’ll just let him breathe.”

Ms Hovey said the news of Tiwanaku’s death had shattered Mr Taiapa’s “Whitsundays family.”

Glenn Wiremu Taiapa with other members of the New Zealand community perform a haka on the Cairns esplanade to farewell his son Tiwanaku Pineamine Taiapa who fell into a septic tank and drowned. Picture: Peter Carruthers

“He was a really bubbly kid. And Glenn is a big part of the community, he’s always doing things for kids, always offering his time for fundraisers so all of us just wanted to do something.”

The campaign titled Helping hand for Glenn to grieve and recover had achieved more than $1600.

Originally published as GoFundMe for father of boy who drowned in Koah septic tank