Distraught father relives the pain of having his adopted son die in his arms after New Year’s Eve drowning – and shares tear-jerking story of how he came to be his ‘dad’
- Luddy Reynolds, 20, tragically drowned on New Year’s Eve in Queensland
- His adopted father Chris Reynolds described Luddy as ‘a young man full of life’
- Luddy spoke to his father just hours before his passing about moving back home
A devastated father has recalled the final conversation with his son before he tragically drowned on New Year’s Eve.
Keen surfer Luddy Reynolds, 20, slipped and fell while crossing the Mary River, near Gympie, north of Brisbane.
A frantic search effort followed before police divers discovered Reynolds’ body 12 hours after his disappearance about 100m from the scene.
His heartbroken dad Chris Reynolds is still struggling to comprehend the loss of his boy who had an infectious smile and was loved by many.
Keen surfer Luddy Reynolds (pictured, right, with his father centre) tragically drowned on New Year’s Eve near Gympie in Brisbane’s north
He was described by his father Chris Reynolds as a ‘true gentleman’ and he felt ‘lost without him’
‘He was my baby boy,’ he told the Sunshine Coast Daily. ‘No matter how big our children are they are and will always be small in our arms.
‘I will never hold my boy again. I can’t tell him how much I love him.’
Mr Reynolds, 51, went on to state he ‘vividly recalled’ two police officers from Coolum knocking on the front door of his house to pass on the grim news his son was missing, presumed dead.
At the scene, the body of his son was located, with the photographer spending some precious final moments with the popular surfer and larrikin.
‘I got to spend some time with (Luddy), which was beautiful for the police to allow me to do that,’ Mr Reynolds said.
‘As I lay there with him my heart broken, all those years and all of the love we had shared had been pulled from us.’
Luddy and his younger brother Justin moved to Australia from Papua New Guinea 14 years ago after their biological father had passed away.
The siblings were entrusted in Mr Reynolds’ care, and didn’t hesitate to call their new life carer ‘dad.’
Luddy Reynolds (pictured above) had two main passions in life – surfing and his family
His adopted father Chris Reynolds (pictured above) was able to farewell his son in his own private way after police divers retrieved his body
Hours before his passing, Luddy had phoned his father asking if he could move back to Coolum this year so he could re-explore his passions in life.
‘He got off the phone with hope for a new exciting year,’ Mr Reynolds said. ‘It was exactly what I’ve been wanting to hear for quite some time.’
Luddy will be farewelled on January 14 at Noosaville’s Gregson and Weight chapel.
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