The last time one of them saw him was about 50 years ago.
Ron ''Speedy'' Donaldson (69) was originally from Palmerston and Herbert and was educated in Oamaru.
He went to Australia in about the mid-1960s and had lived at Katherine for the past 10 years. Three years ago he married Naomi and the couple have a 2-year-old daughter, Nathalie.
On December 3, he was attacked and killed with a small sledgehammer during an altercation with another man while working in Ryan Park about 10.30am.
Police arrested 37-year-old Justin Osborne at the scene and charged him with murder.
One of the detectives described Mr Donaldson's injuries as ''some of the worst'' he had seen in his career.
Mr Donaldson was the son of the late Peggy and Bill Donaldson. He has a brother, John, living in Australia and two sisters still in North Otago - Anne Kennedy in Oamaru and Colleen Slater in Kurow.
Both sisters learned about the death on the day Mr Donaldson was killed, describing the news as a shock.
Mrs Kennedy said she had not seen her brother since he went to Australia and was unable to go to his funeral.
She was disgusted at the way he had died, but would be unable to attend the trial of his alleged killer. She hoped to follow the trial with the assistance of family members who would be present for the proceedings.
Mrs Slater said news of her brother's death was a ''big shock''.
About three years ago she crossed the Tasman and spent about a week with him in Katherine, the first time she had seen him since he went to Australia after working for her and husband Robbie, who owned Duntroon Transport.
That was the last time she saw him.
Katherine police said the two men did not know each other and were not sure what had led to the altercation, but believed the attack was not provoked by Mr Donaldson.
The accused remains in custody in Katherine pending a date for trial.
Mr Kennedy was born in Palmerston, his family moved to Herbert and he was educated at Waitaki Boys' High School.
When he went to Australia, he initially worked in New South Wales, where he got his nickname ''Speedy'' as the slowest member of his rugby team.
In 1974, he shifted to Darwin, becoming a fencer in 1983 and establishing his own business, Speedy Fencing, in Katherine in 2008.
Mr Donaldson played an active role in the community including, along with Naomi, being involved in fundraising for victims of Typhoon Haiya in the Philippines in November, helping raise about $10,000 in Katherine.
