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An Auckland man has died in Australia after being found unconscious in the water at a West Australian beach.
Konrad Jackson, 32, was found floating face down at Quinns Rock, about 40km north of Perth, last month. Police said no one saw him enter the water, but believe he dived in and hit his head on a sandbank.
He was pulled from the water and a doctor who was on the beach at the time performed CPR until an ambulance arrived.
Konrad was taken to Royal Perth Hospital and died of lung failure on January 27.
His sister Portia Jackson said he had broken a vertebra in his back and was paralysed from the neck down. "But none of us expected him to die. We were all getting ready to move over there to look after him when he came home."
In a sad twist, Konrad's father, pilot William Scott-Bloxam, was unable to see him before he died, after being sentenced to three years in an Indonesian prison.
Scott-Bloxam, who operates an air charter business, was found guilty of violating immigration laws after flying four passengers in a light plane from an island off Queensland to the eastern Papua city of Merauke, The Australian newspaper reported.
They told authorities they were investigating tourism opportunities and believed they were eligible for Indonesia's visa-on-arrival scheme.
The scheme only operates at major sea and airports and Scott-Bloxham was convicted the week before Konrad's accident.
Portia said her father had been in contact the day before his son's funeral. "He was a bit of a mess. He has the death of his son to deal with as well as three years in prison. He's probably not doing too well."
Konrad grew up in Parnell. He worked as a sales manager for Pure Water Systems in Perth and had worked for the same company in Cairns.
Portia said her brother "was larger than life, really vibrant. He walked into a room and was just so entertaining."
Konrad's funeral was held in Perth and his ashes are being brought back to New Zealand for a memorial service next weekend.
Portia said Konrad "had a lot of friends here. He's left a huge gap in everyone's lives."
