The boyfriend of a woman who was killed in an ultra-light aircraft crash in Victoria said he was in shock at the loss of his partner.
Petero Vundilo lives in Fiji, but was planning to move to Australia to be with 23-year-old Kathleen Canavan. The pair were planning to lodge the application for his visa next week.
Kathleen regularly visited her boyfriend Petero in Fiji.
There is now a chance, however, that he may not even be able to secure a tourist visa in time to be there for his girlfriend's funeral.
“I love her more than anything in this world. Right now I still won’t accept the fact that she has to leave me so soon,” he said.
“Why Kathy? Why so soon?... I feel so lost at the moment.”
Ms Canavan was killed after the ultra-light aircraft she was a passenger in plunged into the waters of Lake Eildon in central Victoria on Saturday.
The aircraft was piloted by her uncle Dan Canavan, who escaped with minor injuries.
Mr Vundilo and Ms Canavan met last Christmas when Ms Canvan travelled to his village with Fijian friends. She regularly did volunteer work on the islands.
Mr Vundilo’s sister Monika also spoke to The Age.
Kathleen Canavan had returned from a trip to Fiji a month before the accident.
"She was family to us,” she said.
“It's devastating indeed and we're still trying to accept it. It came as a shock to us. We'll miss her very much… Right now we at home in Fiji in tears. I can't stop thinking about her.
“They really loved each other."
Ms Canavan had been travelling to Fiji regularly to spend time with Mr Vundilo. She had returned to Australia only a month ago and planned to go back later in the year.
Kathleen and her partner Petero.
Ms Canavan's uncle, Gerard Canavan, said on Sunday that family members were "all struggling".
"She really was a vibrant girl and will leave a mark, I believe, as just one of those happy, helpful, loving girls," he told Channel Nine.
Gerard said that he believed that Dan, who had bought the aircraft 18 months ago, was a competent pilot. He said Dan was in shock and "very, very remorseful".
Kathleen's Uncle Gerard said the family was devastated. Credit: Nine News
Ms Canavan had been staying with her grandfather at Lake Eildon after returning from volunteer work in Fiji. She spoke with her father John before going on the flight.
"I said Kathleen just pray Hail Mary because I don't like those things," the devastated father told Channel Seven.
"She was a very beautiful young lady," he said. "She had a big heart. It's the greatest loss a father could ever have."
Ms Canavan's body was recovered from the Lake on Saturday evening, after more than eight hours of searching.
The aircraft was retrieved by police divers on Sunday, and will be used to investigate the cause of the crash before a report is prepared for the coroners.