Bhupinder Bobby Singh: New Zealand man fights to attend brother’s funeral
A young Tarneit dad killed in a horror smash in West Melbourne has been remembered as a hardworking husband and a doting father. Now his brother, who lives overseas, is fighting to be allowed to attend his funeral.
West
Don't miss out on the headlines from West. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The distraught brother of a young Tarneit father killed in a road accident on Wednesday is begging to be allowed to travel to Australia.
Bhupinder “Bobby” Singh, 25, had just clocked off from work and was riding his motorbike home on October 28 to be with his wife and three-year-old daughter when a truck ploughed into him about 3.50pm at the intersection of Appleton Dock Rd and Anderson St in West Melbourne.
Bobby was killed just metres from his workplace and at least one of his colleagues at ACFS Port Logistics witnessed the incident.
Tearful colleagues told the Leader at the crash site on Wednesday Bobby was a good friend.
“He’s a very nice person, very nice. Down to earth and very friendly,” one man said.
Another colleague said the accident occurred on a dangerous stretch of road and in the same spot another motorist was hit and killed by a truck just three years earlier.
Harmohit Singh, Bobby’s brother who lives in New Zealand, said he and his younger brother were close and news of his death devastated him.
He said he was now fighting to be permitted to travel from his home in Wellington so he can attend his brother’s funeral, which will be held early next week.
But he said New Zealand authorities had told him that as an essential worker, not a resident of New Zealand, they could provide no guarantee they’d let him re-enter the country upon his return from Melbourne.
“He’s my brother, but he’s like my son,” Mr Singh said.
“When I as in India in 2012 I sent him to Australia, I convinced my father to send him. Because Bobby had a dream. He wanted to travel, he wanted to go outside.
“He was very hardworking … he was very passionate about cars and bikes.
“He’s 100 per cent better than me. He achieved a lot, but he achieved for his daughter, he achieved for his wife.
“He’d built his dream house in a very short period of time.
“Everything he did, he did before me. He married before me, he had a child before me, he was a success before me.”
Mr Singh said Bobby was killed riding his “dream” bike — a 2011 Yamaha YZF-R1.
He also said Bobby was a safe driver and doted on his daughter.
“He’d always tell me when I’m in Australia (visiting him) you have to make more of a gap (between myself and the car in front),” Mr Singh said.
“His daughter always, like, he never say to her, ‘dad’, he always say to her, ‘Bobby’. She was like his friend. Even the last day she is asking, ‘Bobby, where are you’. She says she is waiting for Bobby.”
Mr Singh said his parents in India were heartbroken by their youngest son’s death.
Their grief was made worse because he said they were unable to travel to Australia themselves due to be at their son’s funeral because of travel restrictions between the two countries.
As a result, he said they’d pinned all their hopes on him to be at his brother’s funeral and see him one last time.
“My mum, at the moment, she is in a very critical situation. She can’t speak … My father, he broke on the inside as well. They both have a hope on me at least to be there.”
Information on the Australian Border Force website notes New Zealand residents, regardless of their visa status, are permitted to travel to Australia provided they have a valid travel visa and have not visited a COVID hotspot.
A spokesman for Immigration New Zealand confirmed Mr Sing would find it difficult to re-enter the country if he travelled to Melbourne for his brother’s funeral.
“While INZ is empathetic to Mr Singh’s situation, there is no automatic right of re-entry for temporary work visa holders who choose to depart New Zealand while current border restrictions are in place,” the spokesman said.
“Mr Singh would be required to apply for and be granted an exception before being able to return to New Zealand. Under current border settings, it is unlikely that a temporary work visa holder who has chosen to leave New Zealand would meet the high bar required to be granted an exception to re-enter the country.”
MORE NEWS:
YOUNG DAD DIES IN HORROR CRASH JUST METRES FROM WORKPLACE