The Loyola College community in Watsonia is grieving the sudden loss of Samuel Maddela, a Year 10 student whose passing has left students, staff, and families across the school deeply shaken.
The news was shared by the Loyola College Alumni Association, which described Samuel as a valued member of the school community and extended its heartfelt condolences to his family.
Samuel, known to his friends as Sammy, was a student in Year 10, class 10/AAOB. While the circumstances surrounding his death have not been publicly disclosed, the outpouring of grief across social media has painted a picture of a young life that touched many people around him.
The school community, along with the wider parish and local networks, has united in mourning and support.
A School and Community United in Grief
The Loyola College Alumni Association posted a tribute acknowledging the weight of the loss, not just for Samuel’s immediate family but for the entire school network.
The message called on the community to hold the Maddela family, including his parents, Leila and Eugene, in their thoughts and prayers.
Members of the school community, alumni, and families responded in large numbers, flooding the post with messages of condolence and sorrow.
Among those who commented, Sandra Kostic Reddick described herself as “totally devastated” for the Maddela family, while others offered simple but sincere sentiments of love, prayer, and solidarity.
The response reflected just how tightly knit the Loyola College community is, with people from different walks of life coming together to hold space for a family in the depths of their grief.
For a school rooted in Jesuit values of care and community, the death of a young student carries a particular kind of weight.
The tribute released by the Alumni Association spoke of commending Samuel into God’s loving care, a reflection of the school’s faith-based approach to navigating loss together.
Teammates and Friends Rally Around the Maddela Family
Beyond the school walls, Samuel’s connection to local sport became another avenue through which people expressed their grief and desire to help.
Rebelz Basketball Club, a team with which Samuel was associated, launched a GoFundMe campaign to provide financial support to the Maddela family during what is an unimaginably difficult period.
The campaign was shared by Greenhills Basketball Club, with both organizations urging the wider basketball and local community to contribute or, at the very least, share the fundraiser to broaden its reach.
The gesture from Samuel’s basketball community speaks to the kind of young man he was. Sport has a way of revealing character, and the fact that teammates and club officials acted so swiftly to rally around his family suggests that Sammy was not just a player on a court but a presence that people genuinely cared about.
As the tributes continue to pour in and the fundraiser gains momentum, what emerges is a portrait of a fifteen-year-old who mattered deeply to those around him.
His family now carries the unimaginable burden of losing a child, and the community surrounding them has made clear they do not intend to let them carry it alone. Rest in peace, Samuel Maddela.
