Friends of Matthew Farr and Louis Eeles pay tribute to ‘larger than life’ mates after camping trip turns fatal

Matthew Farr and Louis Eeles were two inseparable, fun-loving mates who were in the ocean more than they were on land. Spending their free time fishing and diving, if the 22-year-olds weren’t in the water they were beside it — camping or four-wheel-driving along the coast with friends. They were boys being boys, enjoying the great outdoors and living life to the fullest. But a seemingly normal camping trip last weekend turned into the cruellest misadventure of all, when Matthew and Louis decided to go four-wheel-driving just after midnight on Sunday and by accident careered off the edge of a cliff, to their deaths. Miraculously, their 21-year-old back seat passenger survived, climbed and walked to raise the alarm with the three other friends who had stayed behind at the campsite and noticed their prolonged absence. The destination for the group of six friends from Geraldton was 10km north of Horrocks Beach in Little Bay. The camp site is a secluded oasis, just metres from the beach with trees that provide shade, far away from the hustle and bustle of Geraldton. Their deaths have left their families and wide circle of friends devastated and reeling at how just another normal adventure turned into the ultimate tragedy. Louis’ girlfriend of four years, Kayla Stubbs, said it was “impossible to put into words how amazing he was”. “He was so loved by everyone. He’d do anything for anyone. And his sense of humour — it was contagious, his personality and love for life, it made everyone so happy. He was never the type to be sad,” she told the Geraldton Guardian this week. She describes her high school sweetheart as someone who worked hard and played harder. Louis was just beginning his apprenticeship to become a refrigeration technician. “He loved his car, he put a lot of work into it, he lived for the ocean and the adrenaline,” she said, adding Louis was a talented sportsman, well known within the athletics community. Ms Stubbs was meant to tag along on the camping trip, but a last minute request from Louis, asking her to run an errand on his behalf meant she would miss out on the fateful trip. “He wanted me to buy him something from the markets. He loved his soaps and scent diffusers. He liked most things boys didn’t, but he really took care of himself, he had a better skin care routine than me,” she laughs. In a death notice in Friday’s Geraldton Guardian, Ms Stubbs expressed her heartbreak at losing her “partner, confidant and rock”. “With you by my side, I felt invincible, as if we were embarking on a grand adventure together, nothing else mattered . . . Thank you for choosing me, I am eternally grateful,” she wrote. Louis’ parents Annette and Adrian wrote their “darling son” was “taken too soon”. “You lived your life to its full, on your terms, and passed away doing what you loved. Outdoor adventurer, world traveller. A kind and generous soul who made everyone laugh. The most loving son, we were so proud of you. Our hearts are broken.” Louis’ brother Charlie wrote he had also lost his “best friend” and “partner in crime”. “I struggle to view a world without your mischievous, adventurous and supportive personality making me happy every day.” Tributes littering their social media pages depict Louis and Matthew side-by-side in many photos, proudly standing with their fresh catches or grinning arm in arm with their friends, just as any bloke would if they were parked up at the beach with a few cold ones. “The world is a worse place without him in it,” said Leigh Fulker, a friend of Matthew’s, who met him at work three years ago. “I spoke to him that night. I was having a few friends over in Perth and wanted to see if he was around. “He was my offsider and I was a driller and we just hit it off, more or less any time you were with him it was a good time. “He was just such a generous, selfless person. I only knew him for a couple of years but my life is better off for the time he was in it.” Mr Fulker describes Matthew as a boy who was quiet at first, but as soon as he was around his friends he came out of his shell, a kind and selfless mate who always had time for everyone. “They were definitely there having a good time, the last camping trip he and I went on was to Little Bay so it’s not like he hadn’t been there before,” Mr Fulker said. Louis and Travis Lindley met four years ago, working at CBH together. Mr Lindley said his friend was “one of the most kindest and caring people, really outgoing and adventurous and just about up for anything”. “He was someone everyone could rely on, and was always there for everyone, he was super chatty and easy to get along with.” Mr Lindley said the biggest loss for the community was knowing Louis was no longer around to bring the fun energy which always came with him, “turning every experience into a positive one”. Levi Moore met Louis at the beginning of high school, eight years ago and the pair became quick friends. “He was a very close friend, someone who was always easy to talk to, happy and smiling. Just loved life,” he said. The pair dived together: “You have to have a lot of trust in people you go diving with, because they could need to save your life. And Louis was one of those people,” Mr Moore said. He mentions Louis’ sense of humour, and his ability to crack a joke anytime, anywhere. “It didn’t matter where we were or what we were doing. He was always making jokes,” he recalled. Mr Moore met Matthew through Louis, and said “there wasn’t much they wouldn’t do together, they were up for anything”. Adding the pair were inseparable, both passionate for life and loved living it to the fullest. Ms Stubbs thanked the fast response of the friends, and emergency services who helped locate the boys. “We just want their lives to be celebrated,” she said. The three remaining friends at the camp site had set out to find their mates, stumbling upon the survivor of the crash who had scaled the cliff face to seek help. He was last listed as being in a stable condition in Royal Perth Hospital, with spinal and neck injuries. Mid West-Gascoyne police district Supt Steve Post confirmed the wrecked vehicle had been recovered on Tuesday afternoon. The recovery operation was left in the hands of the major crash investigations unit, and is ongoing, with the vehicle to remain subject to further investigations. The 4WD was taken to Geraldton and will be examined.