Parents not blaming anyone
The parents of the 14-year-old boy who drowned at Kurrawa Beach on Wednesday have spoken of their grief for the first time.
Matt Barclay's body was discovered on Thursday at the Gold Coast beach that has claimed three lives since 1996.
In the statement, distributed by Queensland Police Media, Stephen and Donna Barclay dismissed that blame should be squared at organisers of the surf lifesaving event - or anyone else.
"Words cannot possibly express how we feel at this time. There is nothing that can be said to change what has happened or take away the pain," the grieving parents wrote.
"We are distressed at what has been reported in the media about the circumstances surrounding the accident and the organisation of the event.
"We do not believe anyone is to blame for what happened and we totally support the officials and organisers of the event.
"Anytime someone goes into the ocean there is an element of risk.
"Matt was a young champion lifesaver and we had no concerns for his safety or the precautions in place at this event. We were more concerned about Matt being hurt playing other sports than competing at surf lifesaving carnivals.
"Surf lifesaving is a big part of our lives and it was Matt's great passion. The bigger the surf, the more he loved it."
The Barclays also thanked the community and "total strangers" for the support they have received, while asking for their privacy to continue to be respected.
