Published on Matangi Tonga (https://matangitonga.to)

Home > Hundreds turnout for funeral of self-sacrificing teen

Hundreds turnout for funeral of self-sacrificing teen [1]

Sydney, Australia

Friday, January 6, 2017 - 15:02.  Updated on Friday, January 6, 2017 - 15:04.

Tuipulotu Gallagher.

Yesterday hundreds of mourners turned out for the funeral of Tuipulotu Gallaher (14) in Sydney West, Australia.

The Aussie-Tongan teen tragically drowned at Sydney Beach on Tuesday, December 27, only two days after Christmas. 

Tuipulotu and his 14-year-old cousin George Lopeti went out for an evening swim when they were swept out by a rip current. A nearby 26-year-old man swam out to rescue them. Upon reaching the pair, Tuipulotu ordered the man to rescue his cousin first. By the time the rescurer returned, Tuipulotu had disappeared. His body was found three days later.

Tuipulotu's mum Sandra Tamano told mourners at the funeral service "You never know you can run out tears until you lose your heart...It's such a cruel time. I'm going to be lost without him."

Tongans [2]
Tuipulotu Gallaher [3]
bravery [4]
drowning [5]
selfless [6]
Tongans Overseas [7]

This content contains images that have not been displayed in print view.

Source URL:https://matangitonga.to/2017/01/06/hundreds-turnout-funeral-self-sacrificing-teen

Links
[1] https://matangitonga.to/2017/01/06/hundreds-turnout-funeral-self-sacrificing-teen [2] https://matangitonga.to/tag/tongans?page=1 [3] https://matangitonga.to/tag/tuipulotu-gallaher?page=1 [4] https://matangitonga.to/tag/bravery?page=1 [5] https://matangitonga.to/tag/drowning?page=1 [6] https://matangitonga.to/tag/selfless?page=1 [7] https://matangitonga.to/topic/tongans-overseas?page=1