Loved by all

By Melissa Meehan
FAMILY and friends are in mourning following the loss of 19-year-old Jason Hill after his body was found in a storm water drain just days before Christmas.
Mr Hill is believed to have suffered an epileptic fit before falling into the drain in Donnellys Weir Road. Police are still awaiting the results of an autopsy.
Mr Hill’s mother, Kerry Colomb, said she and her family were reeling from his sudden death.
On his way home from a friend’s place, Mr Hill was carrying two bags of Christmas presents that were found nearby his body, only 200 metres from home.
Mrs Colomb recalls her son frequently saying how much he loved her, something uncommon for young men his age.
“You could never meet a young man who tells his mum he loves her as much as he did,” Mrs Colomb said.
“He was a boy with exceptional manners and was always the first to shake someone’s hand or welcome them with a kiss on the cheek.”
Described by his mother as ‘happy as Larry’, Mr Hill was at the prime of his life after finding his niche working at H.J. Richards as a sheet metal worker.
“He was on cloud nine that day. His boss had just given him a pay rise – he couldn’t take the smile off his face,” Mrs Colomb said.
Mr Hill was a well known member of the community, attending school at Healesville Primary School, Billanook College in Mooroolbark, and Healesville High School.
Mrs Colomb said her son decided to discontinue his studies halfway through year 11 to take on a few jobs before beginning work for H.J. Richards.
“He really loved working there, it was something he really enjoyed,” Mrs Colomb said.
Employer John Schoen described Mr Hill as a well respected worker and described his death as a great loss to the company and to those who were lucky enough to meet him.
“Jason was a pleasure to work with, he never let his condition stop him from coming to work,” Mr Schoen said.
Mr Hill had epilepsy since the age of five. Mrs Colomb said she had never “wrapped her son up in cotton wool”.
“He wanted to live his life and didn’t want to let his illness to stop him from doing anything,” she said.
Senior Detective Ross Hill of Lilydale CIU described the death of Mr Hill as a tragedy, and so close to Christmas.
Mr Hill is survived by his mother Kerry, father Wayne, brother Troy and sister Christie.