THE family of Neo September says they will be strong for him after his body was recovered from the waves at Tsaarbank in the West Coast National Park.
Neo was swept out to sea on Sunday while on a family picnic and the 16-year-old Elsies River teen’s body washed ashore on Tuesday morning.
SAPS spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk confirmed that the teen’s body was discovered after a patrol, ending the three-day search.
Neo’s sister, Kaylin September, says that her mother was devastated by the news.
She explained that when it was confirmed the body belonged to her brother, her mom went into shock and they feared that they “were about to lose her as well” because she is diabetic.
Kaylin adds: “But I talked with her and I told her, God knows why (this is happening). Eventually she started to come back out of the zone, and it was hard for her because, you know, it’s her son. But when the ambulance came, they said, no, she was strong enough to handle it.”
With the family now preparing to bury the St Andrews Technical High School, Kaylin said that one of the things she will remember most about her brother is that he would make her laugh when she cried.
She says: “He was always there to brighten up my day with a joke or two. And, yeah, that was the kind of person my brother was. He didn’t want to see me cry, he didn’t want to see his mother cry. He was just that kind of person.”