NZ volcano tragedy: ‘spirited’ Hollander brothers ‘always outdoors’

Two teenage boys who died in the White Island eruption have been remembered as “wonderfully kind and spirited” students.

White Island victim Ben Hollander.

Two teenage boys who died from injuries caused by the White ­Island volcano eruption have been remembered as “wonderfully kind and spirited” students who enjoyed a distinctly Australian upbringing and shared Vegemite with their neighbours when growing up in Chicago before moving to Sydney.

Matthew and Berend (or Ben as he was known to friends) Hollander, who were in Year 8 and Year 10 at Knox Grammar School on Sydney’s north shore, died from their injuries in hospital late on Wednesday, while their parents, Martin and Barbara, remained missing on Thursday.

The family had travelled to New Zealand on the Ovation of the Seas cruise, and took the excursion from port to White Island.

“They were a great family,” said Jeff Richmond, a neighbour of the Hollanders when they lived in Chicago.

Both Matthew and Ben were born in Chicago, as their father Martin, who also went to Knox and was a Western Sydney University graduate, was working as an investment director in the US at the time.

“He had the typical Aussie ­accent and ate Vegemite,” Mr Richmond recalled, adding that the family would join in neighbourhood block parties by bringing food and keeping Australian traditions.

Mr Richmond learned the news from one of his sons, who used to play baseball and catch with the Hollander boys as he baby­sat them.

“The boys were very nice, ­always active and always outdoors. They were very pleasant people,’’ Mr Richmond told the Chicago Tribune.

When they moved to Australia in 2013, Ben did not give up on his love of baseball, with one neighbour who lived next to their ­Berowra home telling The Australian he would frequently see the brothers playing baseball on their steep street.

Ben, 16, played with the Knox Stealers baseball team for several years, and on Thursday a club manager said the club was organising counselling checks with several of Ben’s teammates from a past season who were due to play a game on Saturday.

Should they feel comfortable playing, a minute’s silence would be held in the family’s honour.

Paying tribute to the boys, Knox headmaster Scott James said Ben was “a good mate” to his friends, and was also involved with AFL, CRU and army Cadets.

“Ben’s engaging smile and quirky sense of humour made him a good mate to his close group of friends and a welcome member to every classroom,” Mr James said.

He said Matthew, 14, had “a close circle of friends and was popular amongst his peers”.