By Sam Sherwood and Poppy Clark of 
Former Ashburton A&P Association president Victor Schikker died after falling and hitting his head at an ice rink. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
- A father-of-three died after falling backward and hitting his head at an ice rink during a social game of curling
- Victor Schikker, 67, died after the incident at the Staveley Hall Society on Friday
- His family say it was a "tragic accident"
A father-of-three who died after falling and hitting his head at an ice rink during a curling match is being remembered as a "good bugger".
Well-known Mid-Canterbury stock agent and former Ashburton A&P Association president Victor Schikker died following the incident at the Staveley Hall Society on Friday.
The 67-year-old's brother, Steve Schikker, told Stuff it was a "tragic accident". It was the second death following an incident at an ice rink in the last few weeks.
Victor Schikker had organised the curling event as part of a social function.
"He fell on the ice. He was with people and he fell backwards… it's hard to know exactly what happened but I think it was the actual blow to the head was almost instantaneous. He never recovered consciousness at all," his brother said.
"Thousands of curlers have been curling for hundreds of years... accidents happen and this is a very tragic accident."
Schikker, who grew up in Mt Somers, would have marked 50 years working with PGG Wrightson in January.
Steve Schikker said loyalty and pride were among his brother's biggest attributes.
"He was very proud of who he was and who he represented and his family especially," he said.
"He's hugely well-known in Canterbury with 50 years as a Livestock Rep visiting multiple people per day and he was also the most recent president of the Ashburton A&P society."
The accident happened at the Staveley Ice Rink, in Canterbury, on Friday. Photo: Bob Grieve / Stuff
Victor Schikker was "very proud" of his three children, his brother said.
In a statement, Schikker's children expressed their gratitude for all their father had done for his family and his community, as well as the opportunities he created for them to lead the lives they have.
"The support that he gave us throughout all our years so far, we could just never be more thankful."
PGG Wrightson chief executive Stephen Guerin said Schikker was a "valued member" of the team and died playing a sport he loved.
"Victor started with the company in the legacy Wrightson's business in January 1975, nearly some 50 years ago as a young livestock agent. His initial focus was sheep and beef before moving into the dairy part of the livestock business, an area he grew considerable passion for.
"Victor spent his entire career with the company in and around the Mid Canterbury area and loved what he did in his role in the business," Guerin said.
Schikker would be remembered "as a man with a big heart, his sharp-witted sense of humour and will be sorely missed by all who knew him".
Guerin said PGG Wrightson's thoughts are with Schikker's family and loved ones.
"We are offering support to those affected including Victor's family and his PGW work colleagues.
"Alongside WorkSafe, we will be undertaking a thorough investigation to understand the circumstances surrounding the accident. We will have no further comment until that process has concluded."
Staveley Ice Rink reopened in 2024 and is located over an hour south of Christchurch city. Photo: Bob Grieve / Stuff
Ashburton mayor Neil Brown said the community was hurting at the loss of Schikker.
"Victor is a huge part of the Ashburton community and it's a very sad loss. All our hearts go out to friends and family.
"He was a personal friend of mine, his untimely death is hurting our community."
Ashburton A&P show President Ben Stock said everyone was "in shock".
"He was just everyone's mate, he was a great man in the community - a really great story teller and a lot of fun to be around. He had a great moral compass, he was a good bugger.
"He's going to leave a big hole in a lot of peoples lives, in the community and the show as well. We just can't quite believe it," Stock said.
A police spokesperson said they attended a sudden death at Christchurch Hospital on Sunday morning and "the death will be referred to the coroner".
WorkSafe had been notified and was making initial inquiries.
A spokesperson for Staveley Hall Society said they had no comment to make at this stage and would like to respect the family's request for privacy.
Curling is a team sport, played on ice, where two teams take turns to slide stones.
Just two weeks ago Kymani Mana Hetaraka had been skating with her Haeata Community Campus friends at Alpine Ice in Christchurch when she fell and suffered a catastrophic head injury.
The 13-year-old died days later.
WorkSafe said it had opened an investigation into the incident at Alpine Ice in Christchurch, and extended its sympathy to the victim's whānau.
- This story was first published by Stuff
