Fears of a health worker exodus as Kiwis are tempted across the ditch, more details emerge on the Government’s youth boot camps and how much ignoring your Kiwisaver could be costing you in the latest NZ Herald headlines.
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Anthony (Tony) Otworowski, 63, from Adelaide, went missing on the evening of February 18.
Police said a helicopter with night vision equipment was deployed that night. The following morning LandSAR members searched Lake Benmore and the Ahuriri River.
He was later found dead near the trail entrance to the carpark.
Chris Paris, an English fly fisherman and close friend of Otworowski, told the Herald he was devastated to hear the news of his death.
“I first met Tony in 2005, when I was combining a business trip to Adelaide with some trout fishing with mutual friends. We quickly became friends on a trip to Millbrook Lakes in Victoria.”
Anthony Otworowski was the past president of the South Australian Flyfishers’ Association.
“We spent a lot of time together with numerous fishing trips in South Australia and with other members of the South Australian Flyfishers’ Association, of which Tony was a past president.”
Paris said Otworowski was “determined to build up enough pension to retire in his 50s to be able to enjoy whatever retirement might be available to him”.
“He did exactly that, both travelling around Australia with his wife Jackie and on many fishing trips with mates in Australia and New Zealand,” Paris said.
He said Otworowski loved high-country New Zealand, where the pair had many trips together, mainly to the South Island.
“I have so many great memories of wonderful days together with the best-travelling fishing companion that anybody could ever want.”
Paris said he had been in regular contact with Otworowski during his final fishing trip to Lake Benmore.
“The fishing had been a bit tough due to high temperatures and especially high water temperatures in some of the lakes.
“Tony sent me a photo of a 5lb rainbow from Benmore on 14 February and told me about more rainbows and a 5.25lb brown trout from ‘good old Ohau’ on the 16th.”
That was the last time Paris heard from his friend.
Anthony Otworowski is being remembered as the best-travelling fishing companion that anybody could ever want.
“I never dreamt that I’d outlive him. He was fit and active, a great walker and wholehearted fly fisherman.”
Paris said the pair had discussed how much they would prefer to “simply drop dead one day after a day in the high country fly fishing rather than waste away in a sick bed or hospice”.
“There was nowhere else in the world that Tony would rather have died than exactly where he did, after doing exactly what he loved. But we never expected that it would happen so soon or that he would go first.”
