Robert McCutcheon pays tribute to his friend Dominic after his sudden death in a vehicle outside a men’s shelter

A close friend of Dominic, an elderly man found dead outside a homeless shelter on Adelaide’s fringes, has paid tribute to the man he knew since he was a teen.

A close friend of an elderly man found dead outside a men’s crisis shelter has paid tribute to his caring and generous nature.

The man, known only as Dominic, was a regular resident at St Vincent de Paul’s men’s crisis shelter on Whitmore Square.

The man, believed to be in his 80s, was found dead inside his Toyota LandCruiser Sunday morning, with the cause of death yet to be determined.

Robert McCutcheon, 68, first met Dominic when he was 18, and worked with him in the truck industry over the years.

He described Dominic as a stubborn but generous man who worked as an interstate truck driver for the Adelaide, Brisbane and Melbourne markets.

He was still driving trucks occasionally in the past six months when he started staying at the St Vincent de Paul crisis shelter on Whitmore Square.

“He did a lot of volunteer work, and would give probably 25 per cent of his pay cheque to charity in his later years,” Mr McCutcheon said.

“But he wasn’t very well, he was a stubborn old bugger, but a hard worker.”

He said Dominic would “work all day” and used to “drive the triangle” between Adelaide and either Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.

Nigel McCutcheon, who has lived on and off in hostel accommodation near Whitmore Square says he knew the man named Dominic, and revealed his father worked with him for decades. Picture: Dean Martin

“He was a very private type of person, he never discussed his family life much,” Mr McCutcheon said.

“He would give his shirt off his back. He had been in hospital that day.”

Mr McCutcheon said he understood Dominic could not accept his health restrictions and had entered the Vinnies centre to “keep close to the hospital and get help more”.

He would still volunteer his time with different groups and services, he said.

Mr McCutcheon’s son Nigel, a former resident at the shelter,described Dominic as a “loveable bloke” and the shelter a “lovely place”.

“Personally, myself, I loved it here,” Nigel said.

“Only because I’ve done a little bit of jail myself, but you’ve got to have people, have staff who are going to pull people into line.

“I actually loved it there.”

The McCutcheons now live in Hindmarsh in a private rental.

Dominic was known to leave the shelter in the early morning and return in the early evening, with residents often seeing him sitting in his car.

Human Services Minister Nat Cook said Dominic had been staying at the men’s crisis centre in Whitmore Square since “at least January”, and had occupied his room each night.

“Our thoughts are with Dominic’s family and those who knew and supported him,” she said.

“The specific circumstances surrounding his death are yet to be determined and it is unhelpful to speculate while investigations are ongoing.

“The government provides around $80m per year for homelessness services in addition to its emergency accommodation program and ongoing work to expand public and community housing.

“Despite government support providing a key foundation for the sector, homelessness and other welfare services use donations and volunteers to make sure their services stretch as far as possible.

“We express our deep gratitude to everyone who reaches into their own pocket or gives their own time to help others in need – even while they face their own cost of living pressures.”

A homeless man has been found dead in his car outside the Mens Crisis centre. Picture: Brenton Edwards

A Code Blue is active for South Australia this week to help rough sleepers stay warm and dry.

It started 5pm Monday and runs through to 9am Friday, July 5, during which additional accommodation and outreach services will be available for people who need them.

Mr Malinauskas said the man’s death was a “tragedy” and confirmed reports he had access to a bed at the time his body was found.

“The Men’s Crisis Centre operated by Vinnies had their funding cut by the former government which we in turn reinstated because we acknowledge the importance of their work,” Mr Malinauskas said.

“But there was a bed available for that individual and it’s not currently clear why that bed wasn’t taken up, but I understand there’s been an examination undertaken as to why that was the case.”

St Vincent de Paul communications manager Jo Dinnison said the man’s cause of death had not been released but the organisation would review the situation to determine if there were any lessons they could take from it.

Ms Dinnison said the service had experienced a year-on-year increase in demand for its programs across the board, including shelter, homelessness, financial and food assistance.

Anyone who is experiencing or at risk of homelessness is urged to call Homeless Connect SA on 1800 003 308 to find out what assistance is available.