Dead man found by close mate
The body of a promising Whanganui rugby player was found by a friend of 13 years, who at first thought he was sleeping in.
Former Steelfort Wanganui representative Jake Alabaster, 24, died on Saturday morning in the Northland town of Kaikohe.
His body was discovered by his friend Dylan Pearce, who said it appeared as though Alabaster had died of natural causes.
Pearce said Alabaster was acting normally on the Friday before he died.
The men had been shifting hives in Northland for Pearce’s honey company that day but when Pearce went to wake him about 11am on Saturday, after letting Alabaster sleep in, he was unresponsive.
Pearce said he believed his friend may have died from a heart attack.
An autopsy to determine the exact cause of death was to be held in Auckland. Police said the death was not considered suspicious.
Pearce said he had spent every day with Alabaster since he came back from a holiday in Europe a few weeks ago.
He said Alabaster was the type of person who liked everyone and was well known in Whanganui. ‘‘You couldn’t get a better bloke. He had a massive heart. I would do anything for him.’’
A Whanganui High School old boy, Alabaster made his debut for Steelform Wanganui against the Manawatu¯ Evergreens in 2016.
The promising loose forward previously played for the Marist and Borders clubs and had been named in the Wanganui Development XV.
Both Pearce and Alabaster were recovering from injuries so they decided to take a break from rugby this season. Rugby was where the pair bonded after first meeting when Pearce made the Whanganui under 11 rep team.
‘‘We actually didn’t get on when we first met. But then we ended up being mates.’’
The pair were planning a holiday together to Europe after Alabaster’s trip this year.
The rugby fraternity in Whanganui has expressed shock at Alabaster’s untimely death.
Marist club captain Jerome Mccrea said Alabaster had friends in all rugby clubs, not just his own. ‘‘He will be sorely missed from the whole community,’’ he said. ‘‘His friends have taken it very hard.’’
Mccrea said Alabaster still made an effort to keep in touch even after leaving Marist to join Border in 2016.
He described Alabaster as an athletic, fit and strong player.
After joining Border, Alabaster took a year off from rugby to heal from a range of injuries, he said.
His coach at Border, Ross Williams, said Alabaster was an abrasive, talented player who had no regard for his body.
Once he recovered from injuries, Alabaster planned to continue playing for Border, he said. The news of his death was terrible for all the rugby clubs in Whanganui.
‘‘He had mingled and had a lot of memories with a lot of players.
‘‘We will have a large presence at his funeral. Our thoughts go out to his family.’’