The spot where Justin Dickson came to rest following the fatal motorbike accident. Photo / George Novak
The spot where Justin Dickson came to rest following the fatal motorbike accident. Photo / George Novak
A Christmas decoration hanging from a small red cross and a bunch of yellow sunflowers mark the spot where 22-year-old Tauranga man Justin Dickson died instantly after his motorbike crashed into a parked digger.
Grieving whanau and friends of the Matapihi father-of-two yesterday gathered at the spot where he came to rest on Matapihi Rd at 2.20am on Saturday morning, after he was flung about 15 metres on to the grass verge on the opposite side of the road.
Mr Dickson's youngest child Jordon-Leigh turns 1 tomorrow - the day of his father's tangi.
Justin Phillip Dickson's grieving younger brother Kamrin Dickson, 21, along with other whanau and friends gathered at the crash scene yesterday to lay flowers and to mourn.
Mr Dickson is also survived by his son, 4-year-old Justin Junior (JJ), his partner Rangimaria, younger brother Kamrin, 21, as well as his sisters Ngaire, Kylie and Lucky.
Tears flowed among the mourners at the crash site, who included Kamrin.
An inconsolable Kamrin, who arrived carrying flowers, said he and the rest of his family were still in shock, especially as he and his brother had just celebrated his 21st birthday the weekend before.
"I just can't believe it," he told the Bay of Plenty Times.
"All of the cousins, mates and whanau will miss Justin forever," he said.
It's been a double blow for the Dickson family as some of the whanau have just attended the murder trial in Australia for the man who killed Justin's cousin Tony Williams on the Gold Coast in 2011.
Mr Williams' mother, Kiriwaitai Williams, is a sister to Mr Dickson's mother Waitere Dickson, also to Justin's aunt Iwarau Dickson, who lives in Matapihi.
Justin was a great friend and good father to his babies. He died far too young.
Iwarau Dickson said the how and why of the motorbike accident was still to be established, but it was believed her nephew was on his way home at the time of the crash.
She and some of the whanau had only just arrived back from Australia and his mother, who lives in Sydney, had just arrived home from the Gold Coast when they got the news.
"We just had a really good trial outcome after Tony's death and were all feeling pleased about that, and now this, it's hard to accept.
ACCIDENT: The spot on Matapihi Rd where Justin Dickson struck a parked digger.
"Justin was a very devoted father and his children were his world.
"His family and all of us are really going to miss him, it's a huge loss.
"Losing Tony was bad enough and we were just coming to terms with that. Now we have lost Justin too. It's a cruel blow," she said.
Born and raised in Matapihi, Mr Dickson attended Matapihi School and Mount Maunganui College.
While unemployed, he had been looking into doing a carpentry course, and loved anything to do with motorbikes, and was a "loveable rogue", his aunt said. "Justin was a good father and an even better cousin," another family member said.
A 25-year-old schoolmate said Mr Dickson was a "happy-go-lucky outgoing person" who loved riding motorbikes and dreamed of one day buying a Harley Davidson V-Rod.
"Justin was a great friend and good father to his babies. He died far too young," he said.
A Matapihi Rd resident said he had often seen the deceased riding along Matapihi Rd on his motorbike. "He's always lived here. I know all those boys," the man said
"I got up about half past five and I saw all the cars and I saw the police and they said 'come down and have a karakia'," the resident said.
Mr Dickson is lying at Hungahunga Marae, Matapihi where his tangi would be held tomorrow from 11am.
Investigations into the cause of the crash were continuing and police urge anyone who saw the Suzuki 650 motorcycle in the vicinity of Matapihi Rd around the time of the crash to call Tauranga police on 577 4300.
