Neville Thomson's daughter Nataria Moore (centre) said her father was a family man who wanted to spend more time with his children. Photo / Supplied
Neville Thomson's daughter Nataria Moore (centre) said her father was a family man who wanted to spend more time with his children. Photo / Supplied
The family of dog attack victim Neville Thomson want him to be remembered for more than just his violent death.
Thomson's daughter Nataria Moore told the Advocate she was numb and exhausted in the aftermath of the attack and was still trying to piece together what happened.
The family hadbeen struggling to find a way to tell the world Thomson "wasn't some irresponsible dog owner", Moore said.
"If anything he just chose the wrong company.
"He was such a loving and giving man who happened to put himself in a situation that put him in harm's way, that put him in danger."
Moore said Thomson was a father and a grandfather whose family was extremely important to him.
"He was a family man, he had plans in place to be with us more. He wanted to make sure he continued the connection with his children. It meant the world to him."
Thomson also had a major impact on the Panguru community, obvious in the many moments shared among mourners at his funeral on Tuesday.
"The community is in shock, his tangihanga was huge," Moore said.
"Each one got up and said the same thing, he would give you the shirt off his back to help you out.
"We had people coming in from schools and crying about how they were good friends with him. I went to the shop and people were crying, saying it's not going to be the same without him.
"He made a huge impact in a Māori rural community."
Although he was Pākehā, he was accepted by the Māori community, Moore said, and his body went to her mother's marae.
"A lot of people said he was Pākehā on the outside and Māori on the inside."
Neville Thomson was known as an animal lover who had two dogs of his own. Photo / Supplied
Several Panguru residents have spoken to the Advocate about Thomson's kindness and his love of animals.
The family still does not have a clear picture of what happened that day, Moore said.
"We're all assuming he went out and tried to stop fighting [between dogs]."
It was unclear where the owner of the dogs, who was staying with Thomson, was during the attack, Moore said.
"We just want to know what this person did that day - what did you do to help our dad?"
Thomson had recently travelled south for his father's funeral and returned to find even more dogs on the property after one of the boarder's dogs had puppies.
Moore said her father wanted the dogs off the property before his death. Many of the more than 25 dogs on the property were puppies, Moore said.
The family found searching for answers about how the attack unfolded while also trying to grieve particularly difficult, Moore said.
One of her brothers was planning to return to the family property to live, she said, and would take care of Neville's two dogs, which had been returned to the family.
"We recognised that they're traumatised and they don't want to be moved."
The family also wanted to "preserve and protect" their father's home, despite what had happened on the property.
It was difficult staying in the house where he was killed, Moore said, although her father's death had not really sunk in.
Neville Thomson was a father and a grandfather who his daughter described as a "family man". Photo / Supplied
"I don't even feel like it's real, I don't even feel like I'm here."
