A vigil will be held for Dre Cooper on Friday night at Rumbalara Football Netball Club.
The community is banding together after the tragic death of a young Shepparton boy in the Broken River earlier this week.
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A candlelight vigil has been organised for Friday, November 6, for the whole community to come together in their grief after the loss of 11-year-old Dre Cooper.
The vigil has been organised by the Rumbalara Football Netball Club as a chance to remember Dre and surround his family with love and support.
The community will come together to honour Dre Cooper at a vigil in Shepparton on Friday, November 6.
In a post on social media about the vigil, the club said Dre was a much-loved member of the Rumba family and his loss was deeply felt.
“We know so many across our community are hurting, and this gathering is a chance to be there for one another, share in his memory and remind his family that they are not alone,” the club said.
“Whether you wish to share a memory, sit quietly or simply stand alongside others, you are welcome.
A vigil will be held on Friday to remember 11-year-old Dre Cooper.
“There is no expectation to speak or find the right words, sometimes being together says more than words can.”
The vigil, which is open to the entire community, will be held on the oval at the Rumbalara Football Netball Club, at 20 Mercury Dve, Shepparton, from 5.30pm on Friday.
A barbecue dinner will be provided.
The community has also dug deep for Dre’s family, with a GoFundMe organised for them already raising more than $40,000 by 3pm Thursday — in the first 20 hours after it was started on Wednesday night.
Dwyane Mansfield, a first cousin of Dre’s father, but who thinks of him like a brother, said he organised the GoFundMe because he wanted to help out the family as much as possible during this sad time.
Tribute flowers left near the Broken River in Shepparton.
Photo by
Bree Harding
Mr Mansfield said Dre’s father would not be able to go back to work for a while and there were 10 children in the family.
The money could also go towards Dre’s funeral.
“I just want to help out with anything they need,” Mr Mansfield said.
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