- Ryan Craig’s family have broken their silence
- Billy Slater’s brother-in-law died in a tragic accident
- The family have paid tribute to the father of four
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The family of a hero father who died while saving his daughter from drowning have paid tribute to him following his tragic death.
Father-of-four Ryan Craig, the husband of NRL legend Billy Slater’s sister Sheena, died at Kinchant Dam near Mackay on Saturday when the boat he and his family were on capsized and he went into the water to rescue his daughter moments later. 11:00.
The nine-year-old was later pulled safely from the dam, but Craig’s body was not found until Monday morning.
On Thursday, the family released a joint statement in tribute to the beloved father, who turned 40.
‘You don’t know how loved someone is, whether people knew him or not, the support has been amazing. It is also a reflection of him,” they said.
The family of a hero father who died while saving his daughter have paid tribute to him
Ryan Craig died after saving his daughter from drowning on Saturday
“He left us behind and protected his family, that’s a true trait of who he was.”
Ryan’s sister, Lauren, described him as her ‘best mate’.
“He was a protector, he loved hard, he gave the best hugs, his hugs were strong and meaningful,” the family said.
‘He loved his mates, he was funny, he had the best sense of humour, he was very quick.
‘His girls and Sheena were also his absolute priority, he was very devoted and a really hands-on dad. He was loving, he liked to do fun things with them.’
The 40-year-old loved music and motorbikes and worked as a DJ with his best mate Trent.
“He loved fast things, he learned to ride a motorbike around the farm when he was quite young and broke a number of bones on motorbikes,” the family added.
‘He had a Holden ute, then he had another Holden ute, then he had his club sport, he loved his toys and playing and tinkering with them.
‘He was a motor man. His car is in the garage right now and the hood is up.
‘When his car pulled up in the driveway, the girl’s excitement would get that excitement, that’s probably the biggest reflection of what it meant to the girls.’
The 40-year-old was married to Billy Slater’s sister, Sheena
Slater is understood to be devastated by the devastating news
His funeral will be held at 1pm on Wednesday 20 March 2024 at New Life Church, 75 Evans Avenue, North Mackay.
Slater’s close mate Cameron Smith revealed he was on the other end of a heartbreaking phone call with the Storm legend following the tragic news.
“I called Billy and talked to him and he just said, ‘Look, it’s an absolutely tragic (set of) circumstances, given the situation,'” he said.
“It’s a place they spend a lot of time with the children when they grow up. They have four children. They have four little girls.
‘They were out on the water and just a series of events really led to Ryan and his oldest daughter falling into the water and unfortunately some weather blew up and it blew the boat away from where they had fallen into the water and the boat could not be started.
“It was truly a heroic effort by Ryan to stay afloat as long as he did to save his daughter.
“He eventually ran out of energy. Some jet skiers came along a little later and I don’t know how – it’s just a miracle – the little girl was still afloat.’