Shabby was not a skateboarder - Granduncle

By Siti Salwa Shaari

KUANTAN, Dec 29  -- Mohammad Farhan Fudhail Mohammad Farid, who was killed in a skateboarding accident in Townsville, Queensland, Australia, was said to have never played the sport before.

His granduncle Azahari Hassan, 47, said he was told that Mohammad Farhan Fudhail, 16, fondly known as Shabby, had just received the skateboard as a gift a few days ago.

The deceased and his only sibling, Farranazatul Fiqa, 15, stayed with their grandmother Mariati Hassan, 53, and went to an international school here, while their mother Furhzanatul Natasha Mohd Sazali, worked as a nurse in Australia.

“The siblings and a few other family members left for Australia earlier this month to meet Furhzanatul Natasha and were scheduled to return on Jan 12, a day before their school session starts.

“It was common for them to visit their mother on school holidays...they used to study there so they have many friends over there,” he said when met by reporters here today.

News reports today said Mohammad Farhan Fudhail died after crashing into a pole while skateboarding downhill and it was understood he was trying to slow down his skateboard before the crash.

Azahari also described the incident as a double loss for the family as they had just lost their grandfather, Mohd Arif Abdullah@Russell Machen, 63, (Mariati's husband) while on vacation in Bali, Indonesia last November.

He said Furhzanatul Natasha, who has been residing in Australia for over 10 years, was saddened by the loss, and family members here were reluctant to interrupt her and only communicated with other family members over there.

“I had just finished my dialysis treatment when I received the news...I don't know what to say. I remember the last time we met was before they left for Australia; they were so happy.

“Shabby was a good and hardworking boy. He never once raised his voice to his grandparents. He spent most of his time at home and only occasionally went out for a jog,” he said.

Azahari said he was informed that Mohammad Farhan Fudhail would be buried near his grandfather at the Setali Muslim Cemetery here, but he did not know when the body would arrive.

Meanwhile, Farranazatul Fiqa via her Instagram page farranazatul_fiqa shared some pictures with her late brother along with a poem expressing her sadness over the loss.

Written in English, it touches on the loss of two people closest to her and how much Shabby's departure was affecting her.

It partly reads: “I honestly have no idea how I'm gonna face the rest of my life without you. What happened to grow up together? Living next door to me so you could see me every day? 

“What happened to you wanting to be a fun uncle to my kids? What happened to you wanting to take care of your little sister?”

-- BERNAMA