Expat dies surfing in Australia

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/wales/north_west/7313055.stm

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A Gwynedd expatriate has died while surfing near his adopted home in Melbourne in Australia.

Emyr Williams, 35, from Dolgellau, moved to the country to work as a computer programmer four years ago.

His mother, Kathleen Williams, said his friends in Australia had told her he had somehow got into difficulties and efforts to revive him had failed.

"They pulled him from the water and tried for an hour to revive him on the beach," she said.

Mrs Williams said that she had difficulty getting all the information about her son's death at St Kilda near Melbourne on Saturday over the Easter weekend.

It was the second tragedy for the family in three months as Mr Williams' father, Aled, a teacher in Dolgellau, died after a long illness in January.

"Emyr was home with me for about six weeks when his father died, and it was only about a month ago that he returned to Australia," Mrs Williams said.

He was such a nice chap, and whenever he came home to Dolgellau Emyr would come to visit the cricket teams Martin Evans, friend

"The Melbourne coroner and the police out there are to undertake an investigation and the undertaker here in Dolgellau cannot make any arrangement until all the formalities have been completed," she said.

Tributes were paid to Emyr Williams by fellow members of Dolgellau cricket club.

Club secretary Ken Evans said: "Emyr came home in 2006 and played a game for us in the north Wales cricket league.

'Terrible news'

"The club's sympathy goes to his mother and his sister, Elen, who lives near London," he added.

Club chairman Lyndon Nicholas said: "It is terrible news for his family, so soon after the death of his father.

Martin Evans, another friend, said he used to spend a lot of time playing cricket with Mr Williams.

"He was such a nice chap, and whenever he came home to Dolgellau Emyr would come to visit the cricket teams playing on the Marian," he added.