A NSW police officer has died suddenly while on a beach holiday with his family.
Paul Matts, 37, from Orange in the NSW Central Tablelands region, had a medical episode while laughing and playing on the sand with his wife and four children on July 8, friends said.
The medical episode proved to be fatal and he was unable to be revived.
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Matts leaves behind his wife Danni Matts, his daughter Harlow and son Xavier, and his step-children Archer and Jasmine.
“Danni and her three children — ages 8, 7, and 8 months — are now facing life without their loving dad and step dad,” Danni’s friends Jenna McAtamney and Sarah Wilkinson wrote on a GoFundMe page.
Matts, a NSW Police sergeant, had been an officer for more than 16 years and had previously lived in Coffs Harbour.
The Coffs Harbour Beaches Hockey Club paid tribute to their former friend and teammate with a post on Facebook.
“Mattsy was a much-loved member of our club and the Coffs hockey community,” the club wrote.
“He had a passion for horse racing and was never far from the track, even training a horse owned by several of our members. We pass on our deepest sympathies to his family and friends. So sad.”
McAtamney and Wilkinson wrote that Matts was a great father who would be very much missed by his children.
“This loss has left the family devastated and in need of support as they begin to navigate this new reality,” they wrote.
“Their youngest child Xavier, is just 8 months old. Danni is doing everything she can to stay strong for her kids, but she cannot do it alone.”
Matts’ funeral will be held on Thursday in Coffs Harbour.
