GoFundMe Archives - Maroubra News

Trent Rutherford, a young man from Maroubra with deep ties to the South Maroubra Surf Life Saving Club, has died after spending over a week fighting a severe brain injury, leaving behind a community of people who described him as a rare and genuinely good human being.

Trent, believed to be in his late 20s, passed away on 4 June. A carpenter by trade, he had been living in Uluwatu in Bali’s southwest with his long-term partner Bella Cignetti, where the couple had set up fitness-related businesses after relocating from Maroubra in 2024.

His mother described him as being surrounded by love in his final moments.

The tributes of a community that loved him

Bella Cignetti’s tribute captured something of the person Trent was. “I’d choose you in every single lifetime, my love. You fought harder than anyone I’ve ever known,” she wrote. “You are my soulmate, my greatest love, and now my angel, watching over me, protecting me, guiding me and so many others.”

*Photo Credit: @trentrutherford_/Instagram*

She spoke of being grateful for every adventure, laugh, moment and dream they had shared. “Thank you for choosing me, for loving me the way you did and for giving me the most beautiful memories and life. Until we meet again, my love. Forever and always I’ll love you with my whole heart.”

Tributes flooded social media from people who had known Trent across different parts of his life, with many describing a “special human” with a “heart of gold” and an infectious smile that people remembered long after meeting him.

South Sydney Rabbitohs captain Cameron Murray paid his own tribute during Thursday night’s NRL clash against the Manly Sea Eagles, wearing wrist tape emblazoned with “TRENT” throughout the match.

A family known to South Maroubra SLSC

Trent’s connection to the Maroubra community ran deep. His parents, Yvette and Grant “Paddles” Rutherford, are Life Members of the South Maroubra Surf Life Saving Club, a club that has been a fixture of the beach since 1963.

The club shared its condolences with the family this week, noting that Trent was a former club member who had been seen at the clubhouse as recently as March, when he presented the Bruce Rutherford Memorial Award to the club’s nippers.

“Trent was a former valued club member and good friend of South Maroubra SLSC,” the club posted. “Thoughts and prayers are with the Rutherford family as they confront this most difficult time. Vale Trent.”

The Bruce Rutherford Memorial Award bears the name of a family member before him, a detail that gives some sense of how long and how genuinely the Rutherfords have been part of the fabric of this club and this beach.

How to support the family

Friend and organiser Sam Owens originally set up a GoFundMe to support Trent’s medical battle, but has since updated the page to help his family cover funeral expenses and ongoing costs. “This has been an incredibly difficult time for his family, partner Bella, and everyone who loved him,” Owens wrote.

Contributions can be made here.

Published 10-June-2026

Thales Henrique da Silva Souza, a 26-year-old triathlete who has lived in Maroubra for seven years, is recovering at home after being struck by a car while cycling through Sydney’s south, sustaining injuries that required a 12-hour jaw reconstruction surgery, a second surgery on his arm and a nerve block in his spine.

The incident allegedly occurred on Princes Highway in Engadine near the intersection of Anzac Avenue at around 8am on Sunday 19 April. Police confirmed a 34-year-old woman driver was uninjured and was arrested at the scene and taken to Sutherland Hospital for mandatory testing. A Sutherland Shire Police spokesperson confirmed the investigation is ongoing.

More than $34,000 has since been raised through a GoFundMe campaign to support Thales and his partner Isabelle Molinari Fontes with medical expenses and living costs.

Three days unconscious, a jaw held together by rubber bands

Thales was three hours into a cycling journey when the alleged collision occurred. Other cyclists at the scene told Isabelle that a car struck him from behind and kept driving before stopping when members of the group gave chase.

View this post on Instagram

The injuries were severe. Thales lost approximately half his teeth, broke six ribs and was left with rubber bands holding his reconstructed jaw together. He lay unconscious in hospital for three days while Isabelle waited.

“The first three days were the worst,” she said. “Doctors said he might wake up in two days or two months, or might not recognise who I am.”

The first signs of recovery arrived in small moments. “The first moment when he squeezed the doctor’s hand, we were all so excited,” Isabelle said. “When he asked for me and said my name, I thought ‘Thank God’.”

A couple who built their life in Maroubra

Thales and Isabelle met as high-school sweethearts and have lived together in Maroubra for seven years, part of a community they have put down genuine roots in. The impact of the incident has extended beyond Thales’s physical recovery, with both of them out of work due to the full-time care required during his rehabilitation.

Thales is currently on a liquid diet and cannot put weight on his injured arm. He does not remember the collision itself.

*Photo Credit: @thales_henriquess/Instagram*

Despite all of it, his competitive instincts remain intact. He is still targeting a return to elite triathlon competition later this year. “It’s still on the cards,” he said.

His response to the community fundraising effort has been one of genuine gratitude. “It’s amazing what they did,” he said. “I don’t have the words to say thank you.”

How to support Thales

The GoFundMe campaign for Thales and Isabelle remains active.

Anyone with dashcam or CCTV footage of the Princes Highway, Engadine incident on the morning of Sunday 19 April is asked to contact Sutherland Shire Police Area Command or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Published 3-June-2026

Tag: GoFundMe

Maroubra Mourns the Loss of Trent Rutherford