Family pays tribute to 'loving, doting dad' Jordan Powell who died in Canberra City on December 4, 2021

Jordan Powell, affectionately known as 'Ducky' among his family and friends, was only 29 when first responders found him collapsed near Garema Place, Civic, on December 4.

Mr Powell grew up in the NSW Central town of Condobolin, with most of his immediate family still residing there, before making the move about 10 months ago to the nation's capital where he lived with a cousin.

Speaking from the NSW town, his sister-in-law Tatum Fernando said Mr Powell was a family man who loved his children, stepchildren and wider family "to bits".

She said he always treated others like family.

"He called my mum his mum, he called me sis. Everyone was brothers and sisters," she said.

"He spent six years with my sister - a loving, doting dad and partner."

Ms Fernando said besides family, he loved footy, music and dancing and he always made people laugh.

"He really loved his culture, being an Indigenous man," she said.

Ms Fernando said when the family learned of his death, they were "at first all in denial".

"We didn't want to believe it," she said.

"It got worse from other people telling us, but we just wanted to wait for confirmation from the police themselves.

"We were all very devastated, hearing that first through other people.

"Once the police confirmed, it hit hard. We just couldn't function for the past few days."

Ms Fernando said Mr Powell's youngest child, 12-month-old Kamiyah, always looked for him and he was the only one who could settle her.

"He won't be here for them in their [children's] lives anymore," she said.

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Mary Chatfield, Mr Powell's mother-in-law and Ms Fernando's mother, said while Jordan "had to fight a lot of demons", especially when his mother died after battling cancer, the children in his and his de facto partner's care "brought life back to him".

"The devastation of it all was to ring my daughter and to let her know," Ms Chatfield said.

"The hardest thing was she sat down with her two little boys and tried to explain.

"He helped raise my daughter's two oldest girls. They called him dad.

"He said, 'They're not my stepkids, they're my kids'."

Ms Chatfield said Mr Powell was very well-loved in Condobolin.

"It's all about respect. He had respect for his family and friends and the community," she said.

"Being in-laws, he didn't treat us like anybody else."

After his death, a memorial site was established at the scene.

Mr Powell is survived by four children and his ex-de facto partner, Kelly Dixon.

At the time of his death, ACT Policing's Detective Superintendent Scott Moller said the incident was traumatic and shocking.

A teenager has been charged with murder in relation to the death.

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