Soldier's death baffles family

By PAUL YANDALL

Boyd Reagan Henare Atkins was a reserved young man who was a good swimmer and loved his rugby and rodeo riding, say his family.

Private Atkins, aged 19, was found dead on Wednesday night in East Timor near a wharf at the Hera leave centre, about 10km east of Dili.

He is presumed to have drowned.

Known by his big East Coast family as "Popeye," Private Atkins was raised by his farm manager father, Boy Henare, and Mr Henare's partner, Wendy Nesshausen, on Paroa Station, 5km west of Tolaga Bay, north of Gisborne.

Mr Henare died in January 1999 of a heart attack and his son had lived since with a grandmother, Diana Atkins, and friends in Tolaga Bay.

Private Atkins' twin sister, Sonia Melissa Atkins, lives in Gisborne, as does his birth mother, Te Huinga Riki. A younger half-brother lives with Ms Nesshausen.

Diana Atkins said her grandson's death had come as a shock to the family. It was hard to accept that he had died swimming because he had always been a strong swimmer, surfer and watersports participant.

"This was one thing we didn't dream of, him going that way - it wasn't in our thoughts," she said.

"It would be different if he was shot by somebody over there, I think we would understand. But to go swimming like that and drown ... He was a very good swimmer."

She said the family had been looking forward to his return in May. "I've got all his gear here waiting for him. It's heartbreaking, I tell you."

Private Atkins was last home on a 10-day leave in January and last spoke to family members a few weeks ago by phone. "He wanted to tell us that he was sending some tobacco back for us. He was good like that," said Mrs Atkins.

She described her grandson as a reserved person who was so good at rodeo he graduated as a first-class rider when he was only 17 years old.

Tolaga Bay residents said he was a talented athlete who excelled in rugby.

The assistant principal of Tolaga Bay Area School, Eileen Harrison, said Private Atkins was a popular student who excelled at sports. An average student academically, he was an excellent leader.

"He was a school prefect who related really well with the other students."

She said many of the school's 260 students and teachers remembered him and it was a sad day for the school community.

Private Atkins was accepted into the Army in September 1999 as a rifleman and left for East Timor in November last year for a six-month tour.

A tangi will be held at Te Rawheoro Marae, and he will be laid to rest at the local cemetery.

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