A recent picture of Michael Welch, 49, who died on Saturday after hitting his head on a houseboat on the Murray River in South Australia.By Rebecca Fraser
A TRAGIC boating accident has claimed the life of a Berwick father of two.
Michael Welch died on Saturday after striking his head on a houseboat on the Murray River in South Australia.
The 49-year-old was holidaying with 10 close friends and family.
His wife, Catherine, witnessed the accident.
His father-in-law, Gordon Fyfe, des-cribed Mr Welch, or Bluey as he was known, as a fantastic father and husband with a great sense of humour and passion for life.
Mr Fyfe said his son-in-law was fond of a little adventure and liked to live on the edge.
He listed bull-riding and buck-jumping as some of his past pursuits.
Mr Welch also spent 15 years working as a jackaroo in the Australian outback and worked as a head stockman.
Upon his return to Victoria, he spent time working at a thoroughbred stud and breaking and cutting horses.
He started his own stock feed company and was also a practice manager of Melbourne Equine Veterinary Group.
“He went at 200 miles an hour and gave everything 110 percent,” Mr Fyfe said.
“It is very sad to see someone who enjoyed life so much, and a second later be gone. It is just a tragic accident. She (Catherine) was in the water and saw it happen in front of her.
“He jumped off the top of the boat and hit the first deck and rolled into the water unconscious and went straight to the bottom.
“It was meant to be a lovely holiday and the first day this happens.
“It is an absolute disaster,” he said.
South Australia police said the boat had been moored near Mannum when the accident occurred about 3.25pm on Saturday.
Despite the desperate attempts of family and friends, Mr Welch could not be located.
But just before 8pm, following a joint operation between South Australia Police and the local SES, his body was found by the Water Operations Section.
A post examination was conducted on Monday and the body was expected to be returned to Melbourne yesterday.
Mr Fyfe said his son-in-law’s children, Damien and Tom, had been devastated by their father’s death.
Damien, 22, returned from Canada yesterday for the funeral, scheduled for next week at Akoonah Park in Berwick.
Mr Fyfe said Mr Welch, who lived in Pakenham before moving to Berwick five years ago, had a tremendous fatherly instinct and was greatly loved and admired by his two sons as well as his nieces and nephews.
“We are a very close-knit family and he had such a great fatherly instinct. He loved a laugh and had such a great sense of humour. He was just so well known. His contacts and the people he knew were so far spread.
“He will definitely be sadly missed by many — that is for sure,” he said.
