THE fierce loyalty of a Cronulla man who died holidaying in Laos was evident after two close mates stayed by his side until his body was brought home on Sunday.
The father of Lee Hudswell, 26, said his son died in a ‘‘freak accident’’ after falling off a flying fox into a Laotian river in the town on Vang Vieng last Tuesday.
Graeme Hudswell said he wanted to thank his ‘‘lifetime friends’’ Ryan Cearns and Scott Donaghy for being ‘‘the greatest bunch of mates’’ and staying with his son until he was able to join them to fly his son back to Australia.
Mr Hudswell said the pair never lost sight of their friend, and went with him in a tuk tuk (mini taxi) to Vang Vieng hospital where he died, then followed for 12 hours the van that took his body from Laos to Thailand.
The exact cause of his death is not known, but Mr Hudswell said his son appeared to have suffered internal bleeding.
‘‘No one knows, and the trouble is there are no funeral parlours in Laos, so if we requested an autopsy he would still be there,’’ Mr Hudswell said.
He said alcohol was not a factor and his son was an extremely fit man who had done a four-kilometre run the morning of the accident.
‘‘He was every person’s dream of what a son should be,’’ Mr Hudswell said.
‘‘He was fiercely loyal to friends and family.
‘‘He would do anything for them and they did everything for him.’’
The former Inaburra student was a fitness fanatic who loved sports, including cricket, football and boxing, and he also enjoyed cooking for mates at his Ewos Parade unit.
His mother Jan Meadows said her son was intuitive, intelligent, humorous and empathetic.
She said the only time she could get him to sit still as a child was during a five-day Test cricket match where from age three, he would gravitate towards the television and watch every ball bowled.
He spent time in the Army Reserves, played cricket at Bangor Tavern and represented Sutherland’s lower grades as an off-spin bowler and a ‘‘scratchy batsman’’, Mrs Meadows said.
He was an organiser, smooth dresser, a talker, storyteller, traveller and a larrkin who told his mum that one of his favourite subjects at Wollongong University was exercise science ‘‘because the chicks were hot’’.
‘‘He was a good boy, a really, really good boy and he had convinced me he was bulletproof,’’ Mrs Meadows said.
His boxing coach Scott Eagar said Mr Hudswell had the best attitude he had come across as a coach and described him as strong, super fit and a talented boxer ready for his first amateur fight this March.
Colleagues at The 3M Company described him as a highly valued sales executive, with a bright future, and said he would be sorely missed. Mr Hudswell’s funeral will be held this Thursday at Inaburra School, Bangor from 11am.
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