Hundreds of friends and family gathered to farewell Matthew Leveson who has been put to rest more than a decade after he went missing.
Heartbroken parents, Mark and Faye Leveson, said their final goodbyes to their 20-year-old son at the funeral in Sydney on Friday.
Ms Leveson remembered her son, ‘Matty’, was bright, vibrant and creative and was someone who would happily give you the shirt off his back.
Matthew Leveson was finally put to rest by his parents, Mark and Faye (pictured) on Friday
Hundreds of mourners gathered to remember the ‘bright and vibrant’ young man (Matthew’s casket pictured)
Matthew was last seen leaving a Darlinghurst nightclub in 2007 when he was 20 (pictured)
‘He was a very caring kid who put thought into presents he bought you and made his own cards,’ she said.
‘He was just a lovely kid and we want people to see that side of him, not what’s been put in the paper.’
Matthew was last seen leaving Darlinghurst’s Arq nightclub in September 2007 with his then partner Michael Atkins who was later acquitted of murder.
Atkins led police to the location of Matt’s remains in the Royal National Park after complex legal agreements were struck and his remains were found in mid-2017.
‘He was just a lovely kid and we want people to see that side of him, not what’s been put in the paper,’ Ms Leveson said (pictured being comforted by mourners)
The heartbroken parents asked guests at the ceremony, which took place at the Woronora chapels in Sutherland, to wear bright colours and a splash of Matt’s favourite colour purple.
‘It’s meant to be a celebration of his life, being grateful for the 20 years that he was alive,’ Mr Leveson said.
‘It’s a fun day.’
The service included Matt’s favourite songs, photographs and stories to show guests what he was like through his childhood, schooling and early adulthood.
In December, Deputy state coroner Elaine Truscott wasn’t able to rule on the cause of Matt’s death, despite a lengthy inquest, but said Atkins’ lies were suspicious.
But on Friday there was no mention of the manner in which the 20-year-old’s life was cut short, nor the subsequent court cases, inquests and searches.
‘We just want to remember Matt,’ Ms Leveson said.
Detectives finally found Matt’s body in May 2017 beneath a cabbage-tree palm that has since been relocated to Mark and Faye’s backyard.
The Levesons had long promised Matt they would give him a proper farewell.
‘All those years of searching, we finally achieved our goal and it’s made it all so real,’ Mr Leveson says.
‘This will be our final goodbye to him.’