Gurshan's family returns broken-hearted

Gurshan Singh Channa's sobbing, broken-hearted mother told his memorial service her family had come to Australia for a better life but instead her son's fate was to meet his death.

Harpreet Kaur Channa told the service, at a funeral chapel in Thomastown in Melbourne, that the family was now heading back to India "without Gurshan's smile".

As the tears flowed, Ms Channa said only time could heal the hurt for everyone affected by the three-year-old's death.

Gurshan's body lay in a small open white coffin inside the chapel with candles burning at either end. It is due to be flown back to India on Saturday night for cremation in a Sikh ceremony.

"We came to Australia for a better family life with our loving and bubbly son Gurshan, but destiny had something else in mind, and now we are going back without Gurshan's smile and his lively presence," she said in her farewell to her little boy.

Gurshan went missing around 1pm on March 4 from a house in lalor, in Melbourne's north, where the family was staying. His body was found six hours later in long grass at Oaklands Junction near Melbourne airport.

An acquaintance who was also living in the house, 23-year-old Gursewak Dhillon, has been charged with manslaughter by criminal negligence.

About 35 mourners gathered for Saturday's service.

As Ms Channa thanked everyone who had prayed for her son and praised the Victoria Police for their efforts, her husband Harjit sat with his head bowed.

"At this moment, we just want to say thanks to each and every person who prayed for our child and showed a concern for him and every eye which cried for him," she said.

"As parents, we will never be able to forget Gurshan.

"We would like everyone to pray, so God might bless us with him again."

Satnam Singh, secretary of the Craigieburn Sikh temple, described Gurshan as "a little angel".

"No words will help you understand this loss," he said to Gurshan's parents.

"Gurshan was the little angel of the Channa family. May God give you strength to bear this loss."

After the service, local Darebin councillor Tim Singh Laurence said the Channas hoped to return to Australia in three months.

He said he would use his network to find a job for Mr Channa, who is a welder.

The family had been in Australia for about three months before Gurshan's death and had been planning to return to India because Mr Channa couldn't find work.

"I think I can find him something with the support from the community," Mr Laurence told AAP.

Another service will be held on Sunday at the Mulgrave Community Centre for the Indian community in Melbourne's southeast.

- AAP