- Scroll to the bottom to leave a tribute to Ryan or a message for his family
Ryan Teasdale has been remembered as a carefree young boy as mourners rally in support of his family, particularly his brother.
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Ryan, 11, and his 13-year-old brother were boogie-boarding down the slippery slopes of Unanderra’s Riley Park on Thursday afternoon when tragedy struck.
Ryan disappeared. His brother and members of the Teasdale family tried desperately to find him.
Police were called when their frantic search amounted to nothing and a large scale, multi-agency response followed into the night.
The search resumed again on Friday and, within just a few hours, search teams made the grim discovery about 11.15am.
A body, believed to be that of Ryan's, was found in a creek bed behind Unanderra's Western Suburbs Pool.
News of the heartbreaking discovery has prompted hundreds of people to post tributes to the 11-year-old on Facebook.
Among the tributes was a heartfelt message from Jordan Cole, a nine-year-old boy from Dapto.
“My heart breaks thinking about how his family must be feeling right now,” Jordan wrote.
“I know if I lost one of my little sisters I would be absolutely devastated and my heart would be shattered and I wouldn’t know what to do or how to feel. Id [sic] be so lost.
“Im [sic] only 9 but if there’s anything myself, my sisters or my mum can do to help in any way please don’t hesitate to ask.”
Jordan also thanked the emergency service personnel who helped with the search.
“You are amazing people with huge hearts of gold,” he said.
Other mourners echoed that sentiment, describing the events of Thursday afternoon, and the subsequent search into Friday, as tragic.
“Absolute tragedy, this young carefree boy out playing and having fun. This world is beyond cruel. My heart breaks for his family,” Aileen Kelly wrote.
Mel Woods said: “Heartbreaking news. Condolences to the family. Rip buddy. Everyone should hold their children a little tighter today and be thankful they are still with us.”
Many also had Ryan’s brother in their thoughts.
“RIP Ryan. Love to his family. To his brother: be strong young man and know you are loved,” Debby Scofield said.
Renae Noble shared a similar message: “Absolutely devastating, heart breaking. Sending love to his family especially his brother what a horrible thing for a child to go through.”
The tragedy also hit very close to home for many.
“Poor little dude. Crazy thing is a lot of us have done this exact activity as kids an [sic] unfortunately this time it ended in tragedy. RIP,” Daniel Ardron said.
Dale Barnett wrote: “We have all done stuff like this when we were kids.”
Andrew Pearson
Andrew grew up in the western Riverina town of Hay and has strong ties to the region. He is a former DA journo who has a passion for breaking news and has covered everything from council and politics to crime and court.
Andrew grew up in the western Riverina town of Hay and has strong ties to the region. He is a former DA journo who has a passion for breaking news and has covered everything from council and politics to crime and court.
