The sister of one of the two riders killed in a fatal accident at the weekend has described her brother as a ''gentle giant'' who was ''all about the fun in life''.
Paula Smith said her brother, Russell Blackford, was loved by everyone he came into contact with.
''I've searched for someone to say something bad about him there's just no-one. He made friends and he kept them. I know that there are so many people who are going to miss him.''
Mr Blackford (41) from Athol, was announced yesterday as one of two riders killed in the accident near the intersection of Fairfax Isla Bank Rd and Riverton Otautau Rd, south of Otautau shortly before 1pm on Saturday.
The other rider was Timothy James Meers (50), of Otautau.
Mrs Smith said her brother and Mr Meers were friends and the two had met earlier this year.
A keen fisherman who loved to travel, Mr Blackford had been passionate about motorbikes ''forever''.
''He didn't have a partner or he didn't have any children but he had his motorbikes and he had his cats. His motorbikes were everything.''
Mrs Smith also described her brother as a family man.
He was on the way to visit her in Riverton on Saturday when the accident occurred.
Tributes for Mr Blackford poured in on social media. On Facebook, his father, Barry, said he was ''a really neat guy'' who ''got to do the things in his life that he wanted to do''. Other comments called Russell a ''wonderful friend'' who was ''wise beyond his years''.
The pair were among eight to die during a dire three days on the roads nationally. The toll included four motorcyclists killed in just four hours on Saturday.
