When are you coming home
Father of slain Gold Coast man’s loving message sent just hours before his son was found dead in Surfers home
DRE Nova’s father will never get his son’s reply to the question he asked just hours before he was found dead in a Surfers Paradise home.
“When are you coming home for a holiday, I miss you xo,’’ Mr Nova’s father, Wayne Hart, wrote on Friday afternoon.
Now the father and Mr Nova’s mum, Jacqui Kaui, are preparing to fly the father-of-two’s body home to New Zealand to be buried in his hometown. A heartbroken Ms Kaui, who will forever live with the loss of her eldest child (above), says she has already forgiven her son’s killer.
“I have forgiven who did it, I have been praying,” she told the Bulletin.
“I just want to take my son home and let him continue on the journey he is now on.”
NSW police on Sunday arrested a man in a Coffs Harbour carpark (pictured) in relation to Mr Nova’s death.
DRE Nova’s father messaged him on Friday to say how much he was missed and ask when he was coming home to New Zealand for a visit.
He never got a reply from his Surfers Paradise-based son, whose violent death came just hours later.
The family are now working to fly the eldest of five siblings back to New Zealand to be buried in his home town of Hawkes Bay.
Wayne Hart had posted to his 38-year-old son’s Facebook page on Friday: “When are you coming home for a holiday, I miss you xo.”
Just after 5pm that same day the body of Mr Nova (formerly Tane Hart) was discovered at a house in Markwell Ave, near the famed Q1 tower.
His mother Jacqui Kaui, who says she will forever live with the loss of her eldest child, told the Bulletin she had already forgiven her son’s killer.
A heartbroken Ms Kaui said she just wanted to lay her son to rest and celebrate the young father’s life in peace with family and friends.
“I have forgiven who did it, I have been praying … I just want to take my son home and let him continue on the journey he is now on,” Ms Kaui said.
“I can’t be angry at this point but the way he died, we need the closure. He was there for everyone, he was helping out people and then this happened.
“I will never understand it, I will never understand it.
“The person who did it needs to take responsibility.”
Mr Nova had followed his love of the ocean to the Gold Coast after working for a time in Sydney.
The father-of-two had only recently shifted from his Palm Beach home to rent in Surfers Paradise.
His mother said the move was prompted by him falling on hard times.
Known for his generosity and his lighthearted approach to life, she explained Mr Nova had regularly opened his home to others who were in need, asking for nothing in return.
“He wanted to save the world, he was one of those sweethearts with no judgment,” Ms Kaui said. “He was always helping and trusting people with his eyes closed.
“He just kept giving, even if he had nothing left to give he would just keep going.”
Mr Nova’s sister Julie Hart, who lives in Brisbane, said her brother was adored by his nieces and nephews.
“Kids were drawn to him. He was the cool uncle,” she said, describing him as “one of a kind, joking around, happy, thoughtful”.
“He had personality. He will be really missed from the whole family (and) cousins so much.”
The words “Loyalty is everything” head up Mr Nova’s online profile as if to illustrate his passion and trust in those around him.
A regular face on the Glitter Strip, Mr Nova was working as a security guard at venues such as Loose Moose and Love Nightlife.
In his spare time he was outdoors, in the water, diving or doting on his two children.
A nightlife colleague and friend said he was “well known and loved in the industry”.
“He was the kind of guy that would give his last dollar to help another person in need,” the friend said, adding that he was “completely selfless and caring”.
“Dre was friends with everyone in the streets from all walks of life. He trusted too many people too quickly.
“He would take anyone in who needed shelter.”
A number of Mr Nova’s friends angry at the waste of life have vented online.
“... only the good die young,” one friend wrote.
His family have sung the praises of Queensland Police, who they had said were quick to act and arrest the man they believe was involved in Mr Nova’s death.
“They were so fast and have been so kind to us,” sister Ms Hart said.
A GoFundMe has been set up in order to raise funds to transport Mr Nova back to New Zealand at an expected cost of more than $10,000.