Tributes flow for Jake Chapman who died at Belmore Falls

A heartbroken mother has thanked emergency services who worked through the night to bring back the body of her son who fell 40m to his death in the Southern Highlands.

It’s a parent’s worst nightmare to hear their child has died, and Sarah Chapman is no exception.

“I think we’re still probably in shock,” she said.

“It’s very hard to come to terms with.”

Her teenage son Jake Chapman died on June 26 when he fell from a cliff at Belmore Falls. The Werombi resident had been walking with his girlfriend and two friends along the popular walking track in the afternoon when he fell over 40 metres to his death.

Jake Chapman sadly died after falling from a cliff at Belmore Falls.

Due to the difficult terrain, a Toll Rescue helicopter was on scene to assist the five emergency crews in attendance, including special operations team paramedics and the local State Emergency Services crew.

Mrs Chapman said her family were so grateful for the efforts of the emergency services, particularly the local SES group who reached out to the family in the week following Jake’s untimely passing.

“They kept their promise. They promised us that night they wouldn’t stop until they recovered him for us and they did,” she said.

“We can’t thank them enough for what they did.”

Mrs Chapman said her son was a “gentle giant” who would do anything for anyone.

The family recently discovered this photo of Jake Chapman doing a wheelie on his father’s lawnmower, which his mother said encapsulates his cheeky love of life.

“Everyone says their children are wonderful but he really was,” she said.

“He was only 18 when he unfortunately left us, but he fitted a lot into those 18 years.”

Jake left school after Year 10 for an apprenticeship with Daimler, which he absolutely adored. In his spare time, he used his skills to fix up his own car. His mum said he was due to finish his apprenticeship this year and had been making plans with his girlfriend.

“He was such a happy young man,” she said.

“He had his future planned out.”

Jake’s funeral was held on Friday last week by Jake’s parents, Sarah and Mark, and his sister Lauren. Mrs Chapman said her husband made an amazing speech about “his best friend”.

“He spoke beautifully about our boy,” she said.

Jake Chapman’s funeral was marked by a touching tribute that highlighted his love of trucks.

Unfortunately Covid restrictions hampered the amount of friends and family who could attend the funeral, but Mrs Chapman said people gathered to show their love for Jake in a way he would have appreciated.

“Three trucks turned up to escort him, which was lovely because that’s what he did for a living – he worked on trucks,” she said.

“He would have been proud of that.”