Girlfriend's devastating act after death of 'Chumpy' Pullin
The girlfriend of Alex ‘Chumpy’ Pullin has revisited the site of his tragic death to share a heartbreaking tribute to the Aussie snowboarding star.
Two days after the 32-year-old drowned while spearfishing on an artificial reef off Gold Coast's Palm Beach, Ellidy Vlug was back at the site where her loved one lost his life.
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With the couple's beloved dog Rummi by her side, Vlug used her phone to capture the stunning sunset at the beach, before sharing the video on an Instagram story.
In the devastating post, Vlug said she struggled to come to terms with the horrible reality that her boyfriend was no longer with her.
“Can’t bear to type these words. Chump my baby, rest in paradise,” she captioned the picture of Rummi standing beside flowers placed on beach in Pullin's memory.
The heartbreaking act comes after more details have emerged around how she came to find out about Wednesday's tragedy that claimed the life of Pullin - who suffered a shallow water blackout.
Vlug's neighbour Belinda Anderson had been alerted to the news a man in his thirties had drowned at the beach on Wednesday, via a Palm Beach-Currumbin-Elanora Residents and Community Group Facebook page.
Having spoken to Pullin in the morning before he headed out, Ms Anderson rushed to the couple's home to pass on the news to Vlug.
Pullin's girlfriend quickly made her way down to the beach where she found paramedics unsuccessfully attempting to save the life of the 32-year-old.
On Thursday she left a note pinned to the front door of their home, asking for the media to respect her wish for privacy during this time of unthinkable grief.
Pullin’s girlfriend asks media to respect privacy
“Dear media,” she wrote. “Thank you for your thoughts this is a very difficult time for me and I ask that you respect my privacy during this period of grief.
“Know that Chumpy absolutely loved life and lived life to the full.
“He lived for us – his family, our puppy Rummi, our amazing friends and the home we made together.
“He was living his dream, our dream.
“I am eternally grateful that I have lived my life with him and I am deeply saddened that his life has been cut short.
“Rest in peace my beautiful man. Kind regards, Ellidy.”
Police have confirmed Pullin was unconscious when he was dragged from the water around 10.40am on Wednesday.
“Another diver was out there and located him on the sea floor and raised the attention of nearby surfers who sought lifeguards to bring him in,” an officer told reporters.
“He didn't have an oxygen mask, we understand he was free diving and spearfishing out on the reef.”
Paramedics and lifeguards performed CPR for about 35 minutes, but he was pronounced dead just before 11.15am.
The 32-year-old was the flag-bearer for Australia at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
Pullin, known affectionately as ‘Chumpy’, won world championship titles in 2011 and 2013, and nine World Cup gold medals.
