“They have been biking up to the cemetery on their own.
“I asked where they were going and they said ‘We’re off to visit Dad’.
“Some days are hard. My eldest has really grown up in the last three weeks. He’s been so supportive and when I’ve been crying he’ll come and give me hugs and ask if I’m okay.”
Billy Hales started work as soon as he and his partner Sahara-May McGregor found out they would be parents. Photo / Supplied
Baldwin’s husband worked with Hales for five years.
She said she would always remember his sense of humour.
“If you knew Billy you knew the laugh. It would just light up a room.
“My husband is really old school and has been in the (forestry) industry for 30 years, and Billy was one of his favourites.
“Out of everybody, he was the last person you would think this could happen to. He knew what he was doing, he was very well qualified, and he was highly regarded by everyone he worked with.”
Baldwin said all of Hales’ logging family was on hand to pay their respects at his funeral.
“They just wanted to honour him. I’ve never seen so many hard men cry in one place at the same time.
“Logging is a way of life for these boys, it’s not just a job they go to each day.”
McGregor said she was aware of the dangers of forestry and she and Hales had talked about them, but “you never expect it to happen to you”.
“Anybody who works in a dangerous job, don’t forget to kiss your loved ones and say goodbye to them. You just never know when that last time is going to be.
“Every day, Billy would send me a voice message or a video just to say ‘Love you, have a good day’.
“I’m blessed to have so many (messages) there. I go through them every morning.”
As well as the shock of losing her partner, there would also be a financial strain, she said.
