BATHURST father-of-three Ben Urquhart has been confirmed as the man who drowned trying to save his daughter after their kayak capsized at Ben Chifley Dam on Saturday evening.
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Police were called to the dam about 7.30pm following reports of the accident.
They said a five-year-girl was pulled safely from the water but her father drowned.
Mr Urquhart, 36, was a member of Bathurst’s Plymouth Brethren Christian Church community and a member of their Rapid Relief Team (RRT) that supports emergency services and the public during natural disasters such as bushfires and floods.
A post on the RRT’s Facebook page paid tribute to Mr Urquhart.
“Ben Urquhart was a much-loved member of the Rapid Relief Team and the wider Plymouth Brethren Christian Church,” the post read. “The church community is deeply saddened by his passing and is providing comfort and support to his family.
“The Urquhart family wishes to extend its thanks to members of the public who came to Ben and his daughter’s aid on Saturday and for the emergency service personnel and SES volunteers who also assisted.”
Bathurst Ambulance Service of NSW Inspector Rhys Dive was among the emergency service personnel looking for Mr Urquhart on Saturday after the incident, and said he knew the dedicated community man.
Inspector Dive recognised the father of three and husband as a volunteer with the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church’s Rapid Relief Team.
“We know him, that church group is part of the group that come and feed us at emergencies,” he said.
