On Saturday, the first day of November, 2014, it was unusually hot, around 35C - way too hot for a Spring day and sure enough, a severe thunder storm was predicted for late afternoon. And when it hit, it was one of the wildest storms I've ever seen. Trees were down all over Sydney and thousands of people had their power cut off. It didn't last long but the build up of the wind was frightening.
Before the storm hit, people up and down the NSW coast flocked to the beach, including 15 year old Jayden Morrissey and his friends who were on a strip of sand at One Mile Beach near Anna Bay. As the storm rushed in, he was struck by a lightning bolt.
One mile beach
A family friend who owns an onsite van at the Caravan Park, had been surfing with Jayden and his friends, moments before the storm hit. They immediately headed for the safety of the beach when suddenly Jayden fell to the ground holding his chest. The family friend began CPR and soon after, paramedicals worked on him for almost an hour, but he died on the beach.
Mark and Peta Morrissey
Jaydon was the second eldest of four brothers and a year 9 student at Francis Greenway High School. His father said "We need people to understand he was not in the water when the storm hit, police said there was no warning, it came straight over the hill and they didn't have time to react."
His parents and brothers Brodi 19, Jarryd 11, and Logan 8, are left devastated but said there was no one to blame. "If he wasn't up there, he would have been at Nobbys - he would have been at a beach somewhere" Mr Morrissey said.
"He never gave me one ounce of grief, he was the best kid you could ever ask for."
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