Six years after saving their son Isaac from a deadly snakebite, the Bain family has lost him in tragic circumstances in Sunday's light plane crash at Cunnamulla.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Isaac, who was to celebrate his 21st birthday at a party with his twin brother Joseph on Easter Saturday, was the pilot who died in the ultralight plane that came down at Aldville Station, about an hour north-west of Cunnamulla, Queensland.
The incident, which was reported to emergency services personnel shortly before 1pm Sunday, is being investigated by Recreational Aviation Australia in conjunction with police.
A police spokesman said investigators had flown in from Brisbane on Monday afternoon and would undertake a mechanical inspection of the plane.
Joy Warsnop, a neighbour of the Bain family, who live at Lantana, 50km from Toompine, said the news had come as a terrible shock to all.
"We're very close-knit and it's well and truly pulled the rug from under us," she said.
"You couldn't get better neighbours. The boys used to do jobs for us if we were away and vice versa.
"Isaac was so outgoing and willing to do anything for you - all his brothers and sisters are the same."
On February 9, 2013, the then-14-year-old Isaac rang his parents at 1.30 in the morning to say he'd been bitten by a mulga snake while he was asleep in bed in a cottage shared with his five siblings, 150 metres from the main house.
He'd been woken by the pain and had no idea how long ago it was he'd been bitten.
His mother Judith, with many years of experience as a registered nurse, was able to bandage Isaac, by then badly affected by the venom, after the full-grown snake had been dispatched with a broom.
With no RFDS plane available she and her husband Carl had to put Isaac in the car and dash towards Charleville, 200km away, to meet an ambulance.
After five days in an induced coma, Isaac spent 12 weeks in hospital in Brisbane, some of it on kidney dialysis, and underwent 10 operations over an 18-month period to regain a range of movement in his arm.
Thanks to the primary care he received, and his own disposition, he was able to start a career as a contract musterer with his brother Joe.
They each got a pilot's licence, going solo in 2016.
Family friend Tricia Agar said Isaac and his brothers had worked there a lot and had a strong work ethic.
"The hand that suffered a lot from the snake bite never stopped him," she said."He was a hard-working man of the bush but kind and tender-hearted, too.
"He loved life and lived it to the full. They worked in isolated parts, as far out as Tibbooburra, and leased country together."
Isaac's brothers and sisters include his twin brother Joseph, older brothers Matthew and Daniel, and younger sisters Luci and Bianca.