Northern Bay College mourns students Htoo Eh Ku, Reemeh Beh

A Geelong school which is still being rebuilt after classrooms burned down in a fire has been hit by more tragedies.

Reemeh Beh drowned on December 6 while celebrating her graduation with friends.

A Geelong school has been hit with four major tragedies in just over a year after a graduate drowned and a boy died of cancer within days of one another.

The sad deaths, which happened on Friday and Monday, come just two months after the classroom of the sole survivor of a horror fatal Corio shed fire burned down.

Reemeh Beh, 20, and Htoo Eh Ku Kyae, 10, went to Northern Bay College in Corio.

Principal Scott Diamond said the school community had been “brought together” by the week’s events.

Ms Beh was celebrating her graduation from Year 12 with friends before she drowned while swimming in the water at Lerderderg Gorge State Park about 4.35pm on December 6.

Police are not treating the death as suspicious.

Mr Diamond paid tribute to Ms Beh and said the loss was “difficult” to process for fellow students and teachers.

“Reemeh was a much-loved student who had a hugely positive impact on her classmates with her support and care for those around her being among her most positive qualities,” he said.

Northern Bay College teacher and culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) inclusion worker Sophie Nawnyo knew Ms Beh since 2020.

She said Ms Beh had “so much ahead of her” in life.

“She had graduated year 12, she bought a car, she just got accepted to work at an aged care, and she bought a house with her boyfriend and dad,” said Ms Nawnyo.

“She was such a good student, very respectful.”

“You couldn’t find anyone better than her.”

“She will be missed by everyone.”

Northern Bay College’s Hendy St campus suffered severed damage in a fire. Picture: Alison Wynd

Ms Nawnyo said counsellors were present to help staff and students get through the “tough time,” with the community “doing their best to cope” with the situation.

The loss has also been devastating for the Karen community – an ethnic group from Thailand and Myanmar that Ms Beh was a member of.

“There have been visitors around the house 24/7,” said Ms Nawnyo.

“There’s so much going on right now … no one is coping well.”

Htoo Eh Ku Kyae, who was also a member of the Karen community, died of cancer on December 9.

The boy, who attended the college’s Hendy St campus, had his leg amputated in an effort to combat the disease.

Mr Diamond said he was a “beautiful boy” who “fought bravely.”

“He is remembered across the Hendy community as a boy who was not only resilient but lived life with a passion and vigour that we all aspire to,” he said.

“His infectious personality and smile and the strong connection he formed with so many classmates are enduring traits we remember forever.”

Mavis Perry. Picture: David Caird

The devastating news comes just two months after a fire ravaged the same campus, causing significant damage to the library and prep to Year 2 classrooms on October 8.

Mavis Perry, the seven-year-old girl who survived a shed fire that took the lives of her three siblings in 2023, was one of the students impacted by the Hendy St blaze.

Northern Bay College is a prep to year 12 school with five campuses across Corio and Norlane.

Ms Nawnyo has set up a GoFundMe page for the family to cover the cost of Ms Beh’s funeral service.

“That costs a lot of money, and even though we can’t help much, we can help a little,” she said.

The fundraiser has now reached $4000 out of its $20,000 target.

A burial service for Reemeh will be held at 10.30am on Saturday at Flinders Memorial Park in Lara.

Originally published as Northern Bay College mourns students Htoo Eh Ku, Reemeh Beh