‘I woke up to a phone call no parent should receive’: Mother of a young man who died of an overdose at a music festival reveals her heartbreak at the moment ‘our lives changed forever’
- Julie Tam recalled the moment her son Josh Tam, 22, died from a drug overdose
- Mr Tam was rushed to hospital from the Lost Paradise Music Festival last year
- Emergency services called his mother about four hours later after his death
- The substance Mr Tam ingested was unknown but suspected to include ecstasy
The mother of a young man who died of a drug overdose at a music festival in New South Wales' Central Coast has revealed her heartbreak.
Julie Tam recalled the haunting moment when she found out her son Josh Tam, 22, died at the Lost Paradise Music Festival in Gosford on December 29 at about 8pm.
The 22-year-old's mother was alerted of the tragic incident almost four hours later through a phone call that changed her life forever.
'I woke to a phone call no parent should have to receive. Who? Our son? Surely not? Our lives have changed forever,' she told The Courier Mail.
Mother Julie Tam (right) recalled the moment she received a phone call where she learned of the death of her son Josh Tam (left)
Mr Tam was rushed to Gosford Hospital after he ingested an unknown substance at the Lost Paradise Music Festival
He was rushed to Gosford Hospital after he ingested an unknown substance.
Investigators suspect Josh took a mix of ecstasy and alcohol.
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Ms Tam had kissed their son goodbye, not knowing it would be for the last time, as she and her husband left for an annual holiday on Boxing Day.
She had advised her son to drive safely on the almost ten hour commute to the festival from his hometown in Toowong, in Brisbane, with about 20 friends.
'That's all I had worried about. I mean we had endless conversation about drugs and alcohol, we hardly needed another,' she said.
Ms Tam has helped set up a new clothing label called 'Just Mossin' to raise funds towards better drug education for young Australians.
The website, which sells snapback caps with the slogan 'Just Mossin' for $30 each, aims to create 'Joshua's legacy' to help improve safety measures at festivals.
The 22-year-old (highlighted left) attended the popular music festival with about 20 friends
A funeral will be held for the young rugby player at the Marist College Gymnasium in Brisbane on January 18
Over 40 officers who were stationed at the festival monitored all attendees and checked cars before entrance but illicit substances still made their way inside.
Police said festival-goers were becoming more creative when it came to sneaking drugs into a festival.
'People aren't carrying it in their pockets. They aren't that careless,' said Acting Superintendent Rod Peet.
'We have found drugs in aerosol containers and other items. In one instance, the drugs were in a stuffed barbeque chicken.'
Two others, a man and a woman, were taken to hospital in a stable condition after ingesting an unknown substance at the festival.
A funeral for the rugby player will be held at the Marist College Gymnasium at Ashgrove, in Brisbane's inner north, from 10am on January 18.
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