Reena and Munesh Singh pay tribute to their son Rahul after tragic death in Mount Annan
A 19-year-old whose body was found late last week after a four-day search is being remembered by his heartbroken parents as a cheerful and creative teenager whose life was cut short far too soon.
Macarthur
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A southwest Sydney family is mourning the loss of a “creative soul” and “cheerful son” with his parents paying tribute after his devastating death.
Rahul Singh’s body was found by police divers on Thursday, four days after he went missing in Mount Annan. He had just turned 19 in April.
His parents Reena and Munesh Singh said there were no words that could completely capture what the loss of their only son meant and his life had been cut short too soon.
Mrs Singh said she still could not believe it, but wanted to share stories of Rahul to honour her beautiful and loving son who was their “perfect child”.
“He was always very cheerful. He used to love holidays, who knows how many we have gone on together and he loved them,” Mrs Singh said.
“He especially loved cruises, we had gone on six and we were booked to go on our seventh in December.
“He was always helping me. He used to cut the onions for me and if there was laundry to put away he would do it without asking.”
Rahul had a “creative soul” and was passionate in particular about photography. But he always wanted to try and help others.
In Year 11 at Mount Annan Christian College, Rahul was diagnosed with bipolar. His parents said he could have dropped out of school but he was determined to continue despite the challenges he faced.
“He was in the mental health ward at the hospital and he saw the other kids were struggling,” Mrs Singh said.
“So then for his design and textile class he made an activity book which had his photography in it and some puzzles and activities.
“After his HSC, he was in a meeting with one of the staff members from the hospital and they ended up printing 1000 copies for the people there.”
Rahul ended up receiving a certificate of appreciation from South Western Sydney Local Health District for the development of Imaginative Rebuilding Activity Book for mental health consumers across the region.
Mr Singh said his son loved trying new food, but especially loved seafood, and was always up for dancing at family functions. He said that Rahul adored his family and always wanted to spend time with them.
“He was always making new friends,” Mr Singh said. “He always had a smile on his face and people were drawn to that.”
Mrs Singh added that Rahul was passionate about their Hindu culture and always wanted to learn more about it.
“Diwali was one of his favourite festivals. He loved it,” she said.
When Rahul finished school, he decided to complete a Bachelor at the UNSW School of Art and Design and was working casually at McDonalds.
“He knew what he wanted to do. He was a hard worker and he would save his money,” she said.
The Singh family have lived in Mount Annan for 12 years, and the couple said they were incredibly grateful to the entire community.
“We just want to thank everyone for all the help and the support that we have received over the last few days,” Mrs Singh said. “We are very grateful.”
If reading this story has impacted you, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or at lifeline.org.au.