Family and friends of a man known for having a “soft heart” and “giving the biggest bear hugs loaded with love” are grieving after he died in a road smash on the Kaimāī Range.

Bradley (Brad) Paul Mullins from Tauranga is remembered for his kindness towards others and his passion for helping clean up local parks and beaches.

His mother Jane Mullins, 70, from Maungatapu, told the Bay of Plenty Times she was struggling to come to terms with her 45-year-old son’s death following the two-vehicle crash on August 22 on SH29 on the Lower Kaimāī Range.

“You don’t expect your son to go out for an afternoon drive and never return, and learning that while I was planning Brad’s dinner the accident had taken place was a huge shock and still hard to accept. For me and for Ross, his father, losing our precious son and Elizabeth losing her brother is devastating.”

Ross and Elizabeth both live in Auckland, she said.

Jane said Brad attended Auckland’s Lynfield College and after leaving school, he had several different jobs, including working as a courier driver and then in the family business.

In later years, she said her son worked in the foreign exchange division at ASB Bank in Auckland and a few years later he worked in the foreign exchange section in the London branch of the world-famous Coutts bank to save enough to pay for a 72-day African safari tour.

Lower Kaimāī Range fatal crash victim Bradley (Brad) Paul Mullins, 45, in Venice during one of his overseas adventures.

“Brad loved travelling to experience other cultures and sitting down to share a meal with the locals he met along the way. He visited 69 countries and experienced things many people could only dream about doing.

“He spent four years travelling throughout Europe and into Africa, visiting local villages, feeding the lions, and visiting the pyramids of Egypt. And being a bit of a daredevil, Brad bungee jumped off one of the highest bridges in Africa.”

Jane said her son was not working at the time of the accident but often drove around looking for unpaid jobs to make a difference.

“I’m missing Brad immensely. He had so much potential and never got the chance to see any of that come to fruition.

“He had an amazingly soft heart towards others, feeding strangers and helping older ladies across the street and constantly looked for opportunities to make someone’s day out of an act of kindness. I’m sure Brad touched the lives of many people in any way he could.”

She said he often drove to the beach, not to sit under a tree or go swimming, but instead walked along the sand picking up straws, cigarette butts, bottle tops and any other rubbish he found and did the same at local parks around Tauranga city.

“He wanted to clean up the world. By picking up anything he felt like he was doing just that.

“Brad was a much-loved son and brother, who became friends with strangers. I’m sure he touched the lives of many people and he just loved doing things to make a difference without anyone knowing about it. Well done my son, well done.”

Family friend Marilyn Harris-Taylor, 46, from Henderson, said she had known Brad since she was 13 and their mothers had been close friends.

“I was gobsmacked and shocked when I learned about Brad’s death. I was travelling to Palmerston North that day and our car went through the same intersection where the crash happened a couple of hours earlier.

“Brad was only 45 and had so much more life to live. He was one of life’s givers and did a lot of acts of kindness under the radar.

“He had a big heart and used to give you the biggest bear hugs loaded with love. And he always looked out for me and many other people. I still can’t believe he’s gone and we all miss him dearly.”

A graveside farewell service for Brad was held on August 28 at Pyes Pa Memorial Cemetery.

-Bay of Plenty Times.