Young woman tragically dies after celebrating her graduation in Melbourne
A young international student from Thailand has drowned in a tragic accident at a popular swimming spot in Australia.
Reemeh Beh, 20, was with her boyfriend and best friend in the Lerderderg Gorge, in Melbourne’s far west, on December 6 when she slipped on rocks and fell into the water.
Her friend jumped after her but was unable to free her foot, which was stuck in the rubble about three meters below the surface.
Emergency services were called shortly afterwards and took him to hospital for minor treatment, but there was no sign of Mrs Beh, who never resurfaced.
It took approximately four hours for Victoria Police Search and Rescue Divers to discover the young woman’s body and confirm the tragic outcome of her fall.
Ms Beh was about to start her adult life, having just graduated from Northern Bay College in Geelong and taken on a full-time job in aged care.
Her father and boyfriend had also recently bought a house as they planned to get married and take the Australian citizenship test.
But their lives have been turned upside down by her tragic death, and they now have little to spend on a funeral for Ms Beh, her friend Sophie Nawnyo told Daily Mail Australia.
Family and friends of Reemeh Beh (pictured) are reeling after she drowned at a popular swimming spot as she celebrated graduating from school and getting a job
Ms Nawnyo first met Ms Beh through the close-knit Thai community in Geelong before working as her liaison at Northern Bay College.
Just a day before she died, Mrs Beh had beamed with joy about her new job and her plans for the future with her partner.
‘They were planning to get married, they bought a house together and she just got a job, her mother was also happy that she graduated.
“Everything was just going well, you know? And everything collapsed.”
Mrs Nawnyo added that the family was devastated by the untimely death, especially her mother who depended on her to make ends meet.
“She was very kind, her mother’s English is not perfect and she relied on Reemeh to translate when she had an appointment at a medical center or Centrelink,” she said.
Ms Beh was planning to marry her boyfriend of almost three years, with whom she was due to take the Australian citizenship exam earlier this week.
The 20-year-old is the second person in just over a year to drown in the water next to MacKenzies Flat Picnic Area in Lerdderg Gorge, in Melbourne’s far west (pictured).
“Her family was not prepared for this loss and the cost of the funeral service,” Ms Nawnyo wrote to the newspaper GoFundMe page.
“We want to give Reemeh the memorial she deserves and say our final goodbyes without worrying about how it will be paid for.”
Her funeral will take place on Saturday.
Ms Beh is the second person in just over a year to drown at the popular swimming spot, prompting an urgent warning from local authorities.
“Although the water looks shallow and calm from the riverbanks, it is more than three meters deep in places,” the Bacchus Marsh SES unit said in a statement on social media.
‘There is signage warning of the dangers to swimmers and we recommend that you do not enter the water if you cannot swim.’
They confirmed that Parks Victoria had visited the site with police and had been in discussions to make the area safer.
“Ultimately, this is a natural bush environment where rainfall and currents regularly change water depth, direction and debris,” the statement reads.
“There is no constant ‘deep end’, therefore a greater sense of caution must be exercised.”