A family friend of ours lost their son, Kerk Zi On and this was ignored by the Malaysian press altogether. He is being recommended for the National Bravery Award for saving the life of a complete stranger and losing his in return. His parents were part of the organizing committee for the recital series in Malaysia two summers ago.
Dec 30, 2007 Letter from Zi On's Parents
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Dec 7, 2007 - THE family of a Malaysian-born man missing off Moreton Island yesterday spoke of their pride in their son's heroic final actions as hopes of finding him alive all but evaporated.Zi-On Kerk, 25, was last seen assisting a young Korean woman in Honeymoon Bay on the northern tip of the island at 3.40pm on Wednesday.Police described how he threw the woman on to rocks, possibly saving her life before he was swept away by a wave.
Brother Brian Zi-Lu Kerk, who flew to Brisbane from Melbourne to be with his grieving parents, said it did not surprise him to hear Zion had put someone else's well-being before his own."He was always helping people. He has such a kind nature. It's just like him to do something like this," said Mr Kerk fighting back tears."He's not a big guy. He's like a stick and he was not a strong swimmer . . . It's such a shock," he said. "He will always be my older brother."
Mother Chong Cho Tan who flew from Malaysia last night with Zion's father Kerk Choon Keng, said her eldest son was a sergeant in the boys' brigade who kept a "low profile"."He was a loving son, a good brother. We're a very close family," Mrs Tan said.She said Zion had studied commerce and accounting in Canberra before moving to Brisbane to undertake a master's degree in property valuation at the University of Queensland."We're hoping for the best but if God has taken him then we have to accept that," Mrs Tan said.
Mr Keng said the family had been briefed by the water police and understood the search would soon become a recovery operation for his body.Inspector Mark Jones said Zi-On's family would accompany water police to Moreton Island tomorrow to view the search area.
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