These words came yesterday from a weary Ben Langdon who, with his friends, had spent much of the night searching for the body of Kody Rae.

“We are always here at the river, jumping in,” Ben said.

“That’s what we do.

“It was just a freak accident. Kody and another mate had clashed heads on the way down.”

Ben’s brother Jake Langdon said Kody was a fun-loving guy who would do anything to help his friends.

“None of us could have asked for a better mate,” Jake said.

“He was like a brother to me.”

Local resident Wayne Carr said he heard the helicopter overhead and right away knew something was wrong.

“I knew they were searching for someone and could not find him,” Mr Carr told the Mercury.

“This is a tragedy for all of us who live here,” he said.

“I believe they had been singing out as they swung off a tree.

“One fell on top of some others and he did not come to the surface again.

“We are all shattered because those kids were popular here.

“You can’t stop kids doing what kids do.

“We all did the same when we were young.

“It’s just so sad for his parents, friends and family – and for everyone here who knew them too.”