KEY POINTS:
Brendan Dance was only 200m from his Tuakau home when his short life fatefully collided with that of an allegedly drunk driver.
That terrible evening last weekend will be forever etched in the memory of many - including the 24-year-old's mother who has spoken about her anguish over
the horrific event.
Beverley Callander, 49, is no stranger to life-shattering grief.
Her first husband died from a heart attack 20 years ago. Then seven years ago, her second husband also suffered a fatal heart attack.
But the former share milker never expected her world would yet again be consumed with inconsolable grief - only two months after she finally felt ready to clean out her late husband's closet.
About 8.30pm on Friday, October 12, Callander's beloved son went out jogging and never returned. Dance was killed after the driver of a swerving car pressed him against a crash barrier on Whangarata Road in Franklin, and then fled the accident scene.
The driver later returned to the scene with her husband and was given a breath alcohol test.
As the Herald on Sunday went to press no charges had been laid.
"I had a gut feeling something wasn't right when Brendan hadn't come home and it was getting dark," Callander said.
"I drove to find him and came across a mass of flashing lights. When an ambulance passed me I thought, 'Is my boy in that ambulance?'
"I drove straight through the police cordon and told them it was my son. I just knew."
A distraught Callander was not allowed to see the body but convinced police at the scene that the deceased was her son by describing what he was wearing.
"I wasn't allowed to see him, but all I'm left with now is the image of Brendan being hit by a car," Callander said.
Dance was due to fly out to Australia with two friends the next morning and watch the Queensland Indy car races.
The Waikato University business graduate never usually jogged along the 100 km/ph road but had developed a passion for marathon running after losing 13kgs. The Sky TV sport programming co-ordinator was a few weeks away from participating in the Auckland half-marathon.
Callander's first husband died when Brendan was four and older brother Scott was six.
From her second marriage she had another son, Brad, 13.
"I've lost two husbands and a son. This was just the end for me. I can't go on," Callander said as she held her oldest son Scott's hand tightly and managed to fight back tears.
"Brendan was a very funny guy with a quirky sense of humour," Scott, 26, said. "He was always up for a joke and, according to his work mates, got into fancy-dress parties in a big way.
"He was a shy and reserved kid who loved reading books. But once he went to university, I noticed a change in him straight away."
Dance's confidence grew, and he made many friends. But the highly organised man returned home every holiday to visit his mum.
Dance was six months away from embarking on an OE after his experiences at an American summer camp in April 2005 sparked a passion for travel.
The close-knit family are struggling to cope with the injustice of it all. They are angry all they have left is memories. "We can only pray Brendan was killed instantly and didn't suffer," Scott said.
"To learn that she [the driver] left Brendan at the scene absolutely disgusts me," his mother adds.
"You just don't do that to anybody. We are terribly angry because Brendan would never have done that. He did everything by the book."
The Serious Crash Unit is still investigating the cause of the accident, police spokesperson Angeline Barlow said. "The Serious Crash Unit are speaking to the driver and she was helping them with their inquiries," Barlow said.
"With no witnesses to the accident the police are trying to piece together what happened.
"They haven't laid any charges, but as the investigation unfolds we will reassess that."
* If you know anything about this case please call Pukekohe police. Telephone (09) 237 1700.
