Cyclist killed in Canterbury crash was a much-loved father and adventurer

Tuesday, 25 May 2021

A cyclist killed in a collision with a truck in Christchurch was a keen tramper, model aeroplane flyer and much-loved father.

Russell Ramsden, 75, was killed at the intersection of Shands and Halswell Junction roads in Hornby about 5.30pm on Friday.

His son, Grant Ramsden, said he was a lover of adventure who led hikes, sailed yachts and rode motorbikes.

“He has done a lot of stuff over the years,’' he said. “He was still quite young at heart. He still had two passes to go to the adventure park.

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“He loved going up there. He was an adrenaline junkie, just like me.”

“He loved to get out there and get amongst it.”

Ramsden had three sons, Grant, Andrew and David, and a stepson Daryn.

“He was a very good father,” Grant said. “He looked after us all and brought us up well.”

Every week he led hikes for the Over Forties Tramping Club in Canterbury.

“He was always organising tramps in the back country and up mountains. Some of them would take three days to complete.”

Ramsden was a safety officer at construction firm Fulton Hogan.

“He really enjoyed working there,” Grant said. “He loved it. He just didn't want to retire from there.”

A serious crash unit investigation into what caused the collision is under way, a police spokesperson said.

There have been at least 12 other fatal crashes on Canterbury roads so far this year, while 123 have died nationally, according to Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) crash data.

There have been 30 crashes at the intersection of Shands and Halswell Junction roads since January 2000, according to the NZTA data.

Of those, one resulted in serious injuries, 13 were minor and the rest did not cause injuries.