Crushed to death

A well-respected Thames signwriter, photographer and archer crushed to death by a ute has been remembered as a loyal friend who would go out of his way to help anyone. Jason Mark Loane was found dead at his property after emergency services were called at 9.45am on May 31. A close family friend of his, Trevor Irvine, said Loane was a private man ‘‘to everyone except his closest friends.’’ ‘‘He’s like a third son, but he was always loyal to my company and family.’’ They had known each other since Loane was 14 years old. ‘‘He became extremely proficient with a bow, and he also liked to help teach new people, guide them the way to shooting and hunting.’’ Irvine said Loane was proficient in archery for hunting, but also as a sport. He had recently become a staff shooter for Arrowhead Archery after they secured sponsorship from Ben Pearson Archery. One of his photos featured in the 2018 Ben Pearson Archery catalogue, Irvine said. ‘‘That’s never happened for a New Zealander before.’’ He said Loane was the type of man who would go out of his way to help anyone, always putting others before himself. Loane did ‘‘a lot of volunteer work’’ with the Thames Mountain Bike Club and in archery. Police are not treating Loane’s death as suspicious and have referred it on to WorkSafe to investigate. A WorkSafe spokesperson said they had opened an investigation into the incident given Loane was killed while conducting work at home. They would not comment any further.