Roger Walker and Victor Kent identified as men who died after boat capsized off Beachport

The two men who died after a tragic boating trip have been remembered by loved ones as mates who loved to fish, as their final moments were revealed.

• Men killed after boat capsizes

The heartbroken partner of a man who died after a crayfishing venture went terrifyingly wrong says she’ll remember him as a funny, kind and family oriented man who loved fishing with his mates.

June McIntyre held back tears as she spoke about losing Roger Walker, her partner of nearly 26 years, after he didn’t come home from one of many fishing trips on Monday morning.

“He would usually get up about 5.15am and heads out to Victor’s place,” Ms McIntyre said.

June McIntyre, whose partner Roger died after a boat capsized at Beachport. Picture: Izzy McMillan

“I knew something was wrong when it was past 10.30am and he wasn’t home yet.”

At nearly 83 years old, Roger would often go out on the boat with his mate Victor Kent, who also tragically died after the vessel capsized off the waters near Beachport before 11.30am on Saturday.

Cathy Kent is in hospital after the boat she was in capsized off the coast of Beachport yesterday . Picture: Supplied

Roger, Victor and Victor’s wife, Cathy, all from Millicent were found unresponsive onshore.

The men had died before emergency services arrived, while the woman was taken to Millicent District Hospital before being transferred to Mount Gambier Hospital where she is in a stable condition.

“We’ve been close family friends for a long time. He just went down fishing, because he loves that, he just wanted to be out there,” Ms McIntyre said.

The beach where two men lost their lives. A woman has been taken to hospital.

“A cray pot got snagged, so Victor and Roger leaned over the side of the boat to try and free it, and that’s when they tipped. she said.

“He always said he wanted to go fishing, and I told him last year that he was getting too old to go out, and he got cranky with me. He was all right after a couple of days.”

Ms McIntyre said Roger had six grandkids and one great-grandchild that he adored, with another great-grandchild on the way.

Communities in the South-East were left devastated as the news of Mr Walker and Mr Kent’s death broke, bringing extra heartache to the Walker family who lost their beloved grandparents Ned and Nan Walker in a horror car crash in 2020.

Justin Philpott, who lives in Millicent but was spending some time with family in Southend, said he’d noticed none of the usual cray fishing boats had gone out on Monday.

The partner of one of the fishermen killed when their boat capsized off Beachport has paid tribute to a loving great-grandfather. The pair were experienced fishermen. @HannahFoord7#7NEWSpic.twitter.com/GQ8yU5pC59

— 7NEWS Adelaide (@7NewsAdelaide) January 7, 2025

“It was a really windy day, and none of them were out but they’re usually out there every day,” he said.

“Someone from the town noticed that (Victor’s car) was still parked at the boat launch beach and raised the alarm.

“That was unusual for a windy day. From what I’d heard about them though they’d usually get out on the water most days and do their same routine.”

Mr Philpott said Cathy was known to always wear a life jacket each time she went out.

Roger Walker and Victor Kent died after their boat capsized off Beachport . Picture: 7NEWS

Local fishermen at the Southend jetty said they hadn’t been out on Monday because of how windy the conditions were.

Just two days before the tragedy, Cathy Kent, who was taken to hospital after the ordeal, shared a photo to her Instagram page of the boat out on the water.

“Stunning this morning!” she captioned it.

On Tuesday morning, SA Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said the people on the boat that capsized were “retrieving nets, craypots”.

“There has been an issue with one of the ropes becoming entangled, causing the boat to capsize,” Mr Stevens said.

“But the full circumstances will be determined and provided to the coroner.”

Mr Stevens said he was advised two people on the boat were not wearing life jackets.

“A third person was wearing a life jacket, but I understand, not correctly,” he said.

The person wearing the life jacket incorrectly was killed in the incident.

The boat was retrieved at about 10pm on Monday evening.

Mr Walker and Mr Kent’s deaths are understood to be the third cray pot related deaths, with Elliston local Peter Martin believed to have been killed when checking cray pots before his body was discovered on a boat ramp just last month.

It took water police several hours to secure the boat and bring it back to shore, with the vessel finally retrieved at about 10pm on Monday evening.

“I’ll love him and I’ll miss him, but when these things happen you can’t do anything about it,” Ms McIntyre said.

“You’ve just got to pick yourself back up and get on with it.

“We just have to keep plugging on.

“He’d been out with Victor on the boat for about five years. He used to fish off the rocks and then he started going out with Victor. When the weather was alright they’d go out every day.

“He was a very independent fellow, he’d say what he wanted, and he’d tell you if you’d stuffed up.

“He was always joking and he was just a good bloke. He did very well for his age.”

A Millicent resident, who didn’t want to be named, said the community was heartbroken at the loss, with the Walker family at the forefront of everyone’s minds.

Ned and Nan Walker, along with their daughter Sue Skeet, were killed in December 2020 when their Ford Territory collided head-on with a Toyota Landcruiser on the Princes Hwy at Suttontown, on the outskirts of Mount Gambier.

The 16-year-old driver of the landcruiser – an L-Plater – was arrested and charged with caused death by dangerous driving but later received a 12-month good behaviour bond and was disqualified from driving for 18-months.

Originally published as Roger Walker and Victor Kent identified as men who died after boat capsized off Beachport