Avikash ‘Av’ Singh passed away suddenly, Grovedale Hotel raising funds
A popular local chef passed away suddenly last week, with funds now being raised so his body can be repatriated.
Geelong
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A husband and passionate chef at a popular Geelong pub who passed away suddenly has been remembered as an “amazing person” with a “beautiful soul”.
Avikash “Av” Singh was the head chef at Grovedale Hotel after previously running the kitchen at the Torquay Hotel.
He tragically passed last Tuesday at just 36 years of age.
Originally hailing from Fiji’s Ba province, Singh and wife Shireen had been together for 17 years and married for 12.
The couple left Fiji to have a chance at a better life in Australia and Singh found work as a chef throughout Victoria.
In Fiji, he had worked in the kitchens of major hotel chains InterContinental and Grand Pacific.
Singh’s death was sudden and unexpected, with work ongoing to understand what caused it. He was found in his bed not breathing on Tuesday afternoon, before paramedics were called to try and revive him.
His friend and co-head chef at the Grovedale Hotel, Damien Rougetet, said Singh was an “amazing person” who was always smiling and good-natured to everyone.
“He was a good chef, but also the most beautiful soul,” he said.
“The best partner I could have in my kitchen with me”
A crowd-funding campaign has been launched on GoFundMe to raise money to get Singh back to Fiji for his funeral.
“It is an unimaginable and extremely difficult time for Shireen and any help great or small is appreciated,” the fundraising page states.
“As we all known organising a funeral, flights and getting Av home will not be an easy task and we are wanting to support Shireen in any way that we can.”
More than 250 donations have been made so far, raising almost $24,000.
Mr Rougetet said the fundraiser had brought people together, with donations coming from not only the Grovedale and Torquay hotel community, but from family and friends in India and Fiji.
Posts on social media saw hundreds of tributes to Singh, offering condolences and messages of “Om Shanti”, a Hindu prayer.
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