Although just eight years old, the Towradgi boy’s spirit and passion for life struck those who knew him.

Wollongong Church of Christ senior minister Brett Gottle met Elakimu and his mother Therese Milolo a little more than three years ago, soon after they arrived in Australia as refugees from war-torn Congo.

He described a child who loved to dance and play with children in the church community.

‘‘He was a full-spirited, beautiful, highly energetic guy that engaged with life passionately,’’ Mr Gottle said.

‘‘He was a spritely, robust, happy member of the church, and it’s a very sad and traumatic time.’’

Although physically small, Elakimu was strong, and the sports-mad youngster had already proved to be a formidable force on the football field.

‘‘He could have been the next David Beckham,’’ a family friend told the Mercury yesterday.

‘‘He loved his soccer and he’d be the one to always kick the goals.’’

Yesterday the search for Elakimu Muteba continued off Corrimal and Towradgi after the boy went missing while swimming with a young family member on Monday night.

Police conceded hopes of finding the boy alive had faded and search crews were now looking for the boy’s body.

Seeking a better life, Therese Milolo and her young son arrived in Australia from civil war-ravaged Congo in 2008.

They embraced their new country and, in 2009, the single mum graduated from a Federal Government training program designed to equip women with the skills they need to lobby and advocate for women in their community.

Elakimu, a student at the Illawarra Christian School, was also a devoted brother to two-year-old twins Godwin and Edwin.

The youngster spoke four languages - two Congolese dialects, French and English.

‘‘He had a lot of friends at school and from being at the church as well, he had a lot of cousins, he always had a lot of people to play with,’’ the family friend said.