FV Dianne: Siblings of drowned crewmen Zac Feeney honour their brother

The heartbroken family of Zac Feeney remember a humble and caring young man with a “heart of gold”.

Zac Feeney on board the Dianne. He was one of six crewmen who died when the vessel flipped in rough seas off the coast of 1770 in October last year.

ZAC Feeney was a good kid with a heart of gold who would do anything for his family and friends.

He, like his fallen friends and crewmates Adam Bidner, Chris Sammut, Adam Hoffman, Eli Tonks and Ben Leahy loved the water and was fit and healthy.

“We just couldn’t believe it had happened. It was all just a bit of a shock,” his brother Joel Feeney said.

The six perished with the FV Dianne sank in October last year.

Excerpts from 60 Mins interview with Ruben McDornan, the captain of trawler Dianne

“The only reason we were alerted to the Dianne rolling was because Ruben was found” Mr Feeney said.

He and his sister Jackie Perry are tormented by endless questions about what happened last night.

“There’s no words that can describe this group of men and just how experienced, capable and fit and what fighters they were,” Mrs Perry said.

“No one knows these men except for us (their family and friends). They were all divers for years. All knew what they were doing, knew safety procedures.

“We think they stayed under there and tried to save Adam (Hoffman) and Ben … even if it meant their own lives.”

Zac Feeney on board the Dianne. He was one of six crewmen who died when the vessel flipped in rough seas off the coast of 1770 in October last year.

The bodies of Zac, Eli, Adam Bidner and Chris have never been found.

“We can’t let any other families go through what we’ve been though. There’s no words to describe the nightmare and the hell on earth it’s been living with this for the last 9 months and we have to live with it for the rest of our lives not knowing what happened to them,” Mrs Perry said.

“It’s what torments me.

“He loved the ocean and he was doing what he loved. Some people are never as happy in their whole lives as these boys were on their boat.”

Both say Zac loved his job and was at the top of his game.

“He’d come so far in such a short time,” Mrs Perry said.

Zac had spent the last four years with the love of his life Jess Donald living in Broome and Cairns.

Zac Feeney with his long term girlfriend of four years Jess Donald at Crystal Cascades in Cairns.

Mr Feeney is a skipper and diver on a fishing vessel working out of Cairns and still has a great love of the ocean and boating industry.

He said he would also like to see the development of a weather reporting app that gave updates based on a phone’s GPS location.

“It will alert you so you can get a message if there are major changes,” he said.

He said when the Dianne rolled the weather had intensified more than was initially forecast.

“I’m staggered really that there’s nothing out there,” Mr Feeney said.

Originally published as FV Dianne: Siblings of drowned crewmen Zac Feeney honour their brother