A mother who watched her son and husband drown at the Colonnades beach on Phillip Island, south of Melbourne says social media speculations and comments over their deaths are aggravating her family’s grief.
The woman’s 45-year-old husband and 20-year-old son drowned after they were caught in a rip along the notorious stretch of the beach at around 5:30 pm on December 24th.
Her 11-year-old son, however, managed to swim to the shore was rushed to the hospital and is now in a stable condition. 
The Cranbourne-East woman who doesn’t wish to be named told The Age, that “People are making comments that he must have been drinking. My husband does not drink.”
The incident took place at the Colonnades beach on Phillip Island near Melbourne. Source: SBS
“Was my 11-year-old drinking? What people are saying is awful,” she added.
She further clarified, that her husband was not swimming as he did not know how to swim.
“He is a great husband, he would never put our children at risk by taking them swimming,” she told The Age.
Meanwhile, Gagandeep Singh who claims to live in the same street as the said woman has started a fundraising campaign for the family to assist them in repatriating the bodies to India.
The campaign which was set up earlier today is aiming to raise $40,000 to cover the overall financial cost.
In the heartfelt post, Mr Singh wrote that the “elderly mother can't travel to see her son and grandson so for her it is very important that bodies reach India.”
Snapshot of the fundraising campaign set up by Gagandeep Singh Source: GoFundMe
The incident is just one of a large number of drownings that have cost international students, foreign visitors and migrants their lives in Australia.
Last week, three Indian nations drowned at an unpatrolled beach near Coffs Harbour in NSW.
The reality is further compounded by statistics in the National Drownings Report, which found that one in four people drowning in Australian waters over the past decade were born overseas.
International students were the fourth largest category when it came to drownings, with recent arrivals and tourists being the other leading categories.
The Royal Life Saving Australia runs water-safety programs around the country particularly targeting migrants and international students, to prevent such incidents.
They focus on providing swimming lessons, water-safety instructions and knowledge of appropriate beach behaviour.
Here are some tips for keeping safe in or on waterways:
- At the beach, always swim between the red and yellow flags
- Read and observe the safety signs
- Ask a lifesaver/lifeguard for safety advice
- Always swim with someone else and look out for each other
- Always supervise children around the water
- Never swim under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- Learn how to identify a rip
- If you need help, stay calm and attract attention
- Always wear a lifejacket while boating or rock-fishing
- If witnessing an in-water emergency, call Triple Zero (000)
For information on Beach conditions or to find a patrolled beach near you, check out the BeachSafe website or download the mobile app.
