Matthew’s devastating death comes just weeks before the birth of his first child, a son, with high school sweetheart and wife, Emily.
Emily took to Instagram to share a tribute to her late husband.
‘I can’t fathom life without him but my strength is knowing he will live through his son,’ Emily wrote. ‘I will love him enough for the two of us and I will make sure I do Matt proud and be the best mum to him. I love you [Matt] with all of my heart and all of my soul and I’ll miss you every single day.’
Matthew’s family and friends have left touching tributes on his social media.
‘He was a gentleman, a great pilot and a pleasure to work with,’ one user wrote. ‘No one ever had a bad word to say about Matt. Such a nice guy, a beautiful couple. And Emily will be the most wonderful mum,’ another post read.
With temperatures set to reach the mid to high 30s throughout the week in NSW and Queensland, Matthew’s tragic death shows heat-related illness is not limited to the elderly and the very young.
Family and friends of the Hall family have set up a Go Fund Me site for those wanting to donate to Emily and her unborn son.
This article first appeared on New Idea.