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The couple who tragically drowned after getting caught in a current at a popular beach were doting parents of children with special needs.
Matthew Mulhall and Kathryn Singleton could not be revived after they ran into difficulties while swimming at Frazer Beach on the central South Wales coast of New South Wales on Wednesday.
Mulhall leaves behind his daughter Abigail, 13, as well as the couple’s two children with special needs, Gary, 10, and Amelia, five.
Gary is wheelchair bound and requires full-time care after he was born with a condition that causes seizures while his younger sister, Amelia, has autism.
Amelia had been watching her parents swim from the shore and yelled for help when she realized they were in trouble.
Tributes have arrived for Matthew Mulhall and Kathryn Singleton (pictured), who drowned off Fraszer Beach on the New South Wales central coast on Wednesday.
Shaun McKeachie and Bodhi King were watching the waves after work when they heard a cry for help from the ocean.
Despite the “very harsh” conditions, the companions, both builders, ran into the water to try to rescue the panicked man and his wife.
‘(Mr Mullhal) was distraught, just saying ‘save my wife, save my wife’, Mr McKeachie said 7NEWS.
The couple pulled Ms. Singleton out of the water and put her on a surfboard to bring her back to shore.
“She wasn’t responding anymore, which wasn’t very nice to see, but we got her ashore and went to help the other guy,” King said.
They performed CPR once on the ground, but the pair were unable to return to life.
The couple, both in their 40s, drowned after getting caught in a rip current during harsh conditions at Frazer Beach (Frazer Beach file image pictured)
The tragedy has sparked a wave of tributes from heartbroken family and friends on social media.
‘Matt was one of the beautiful souls in the world, and he was a brother to me. We were always able to trust each other, even when our lives pulled us in different directions,” Mullhal’s friend wrote.
“I will always miss him, but I was lucky to have him in my life.”
Another friend wrote: ‘This news is so sad. Such devastating news, both for them and their precious babies, to whom they have dedicated their entire lives.’
Friends and family have established a online fundraising, which has already raised over $10,000.
“We are looking to raise money for the cost of funerals and also help care for and support these beautiful children who have been left behind,” the page says.
“All proceeds will go towards the cost of funerals and children.”
Local builder and surgeon, Shaun McKeachie, and a friend jumped into the water to save the couple, attempting to revive the couple via CPR once ashore, to no avail.
The police will prepare a report for the coroner.
The couple drowned just hours after a man in his 60s was found face down in the ocean 21 miles south at Forresters Beach. Since December, there have been 19 drownings off the New South Wales coast, all on unguarded beaches.
Frazer Beach is a popular spot for campers and surfers.
He The area is also a notorious site for drowning, with the 3km stretch of coastline south of Catherine Hill Bay claiming 20 lives since 2010.
“We’re really worried about what the rest of the summer has in store for us in this hot weather,” Surf Life Saving NSW chief executive Steve Pearce said.
Matthew Mulhall and Kathryn Singleton have been remembered as doting parents