Nate Preston’s mother mourns 20-year-old two years after Mooloolaba death

The mother of a Sunshine Coast man who died after going missing from a party questions whether she’ll ever know what really happened to her son as she fights to keep his memory alive.

Nate Preston’s mother Petra Murphy hopes to keep her son’s memory burning bright on the second anniversary of his tragic death. Picture: Contributed

The mother of a Nambour man who tragically died after vanishing from a party has revealed her journey through grief on the second anniversary of his death.

Nate Preston left a house party in the early hours of May 22, 2022 and was sadly never seen alive again.

The 20-year-old’s disappearance sparked a large police investigation for several weeks, until his body was discovered by a member of the public on June 11, 2022, near a pier outside the marina office in the Mooloolah River.

Tributes flowed after his death from family and friends for a man who was “too kind for this world”.

Speaking to this publication before the second anniversary of her son’s death, Mr Preston’s mother Petra Murphy said she only just started to find her feet after the last “tough couple of years”.

The day of May 22 is a solemn occasion for the former Buderim resident, who time off work to mourn.

Harley Preston, Petra Murphy, Paige Ellis and Nate Preston. Picture: Contributed

Nate Preston and his mum Petra Murphy. Picture: Facebook

She lives interstate nowadays, but said her family and Mr Preston’s friends still reach out to keep his memory alive and reminisce on better times.

“Everyone has their own little thing, for some it’s a quiet thing of reflection while others have a few quiet drinks for Nate,” Ms Murphy said.

Bench memorials at the Mooloolaba footbridge were a common haunt for his mates whenever they wanted to remember the young rapper.

“We spread some of his ashes there, it’s a nice, beautiful, little place,” Ms Murphy said.

“You can feel Nate’s presence there.”

Nate Preston. Picture: Contributed

Ms Murphy said it took Mr Preston’s family 18 months to receive the coroner’s report on the 20-year-old’s death, but said she doubted they’ll ever really know what happened.

“We were told he went down there to have some quiet time after a big night out, and laid down there and passed out,” she said.

“The tide came in and took him away.”

She said there was nothing suspicious in his death but an unfortunate tragedy which could befall any family.

Ms Murphy said her son had his own struggles with mental health including a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder, but sought mental health treatment several times.

A young Nate Preston and his mother Petra Murphy. Picture: Contributed

His mother said it was easy for those to get tied up in their grief.

“You forget to live,” she said.

“For the first 12 months I cried for eight hours every day.

“It’s probably been in the last four months I’ve made a decision that Nate would hate to see me not getting out and living my life again.

She said she’s been taking care of her own mental health and surrounding herself with positive influences in her life.

“It’s a very lonely process going through grief, life goes on for everyone else but for you it stands still for a very long time,” Ms Murphy said.

“I had to really put myself first.”

Mr Preston’s mum said if her son was still alive, he’d be pursuing his career in music as a rapper, a craft he was passionate about.

Since his death, his music has been published on Spotify, immortalising him in the entertainment world forever.

“I take comfort that he’s left that behind, I can still hear his voice,” Ms Murphy said.

“It’s his journal in a song.”

Ms Murphy said the advice she would give any parents whose children are going through a tough time would be to “take it seriously” and validate their feelings while actively listening. She said to remind them things “won’t always be this hard”.

Nate Preston's music has been immortalised on Spotify.

Not a day goes by she doesn’t miss the kind person who had unending loyalty to his family and friends.

“We always just had so much fun together, one of his favourite things to do was to jump out and scare me,” she said.

“I miss his personality, how he was always dancing and trying to make people laugh. I miss his laugh, his smile, and his hugs.

“You just couldn’t be sad around Nate, he would be always trying to cheer you up.

“One of my greatest fears is people won’t remember him because he was a special kind of person.

“He was one of a kind.”

Mr Preston is survived by his mother, his siblings Paige and Harley, nephews Malakai and Maverick and his niece Meadow.

Originally published as Nate Preston’s mother mourns 20-year-old two years after Mooloolaba death