Batemans Bay loses fervent fisherman, eager adventurer with the death of Maté Bitunjac

The dedicated business owner, curious world traveller and caring son tragically died in a road accident in Laos while touring South East Asia with friends.

Maté spent his last week exploring the world, discovering new places and sharing memories with people he loved.

He is remembered by colleagues as a "remarkable" individual and was a highly regarded figure in Eurobodalla fishing communities, having spent much of his time exploring South Coast waters.

He is survived by his mother, Pat Cmiel, and older brother Seamus.

Maté was born at Canberra Hospital on January 16, 1968 to father Maté and Ms Cmiel. He inherited his father's Yugoslavian name and received the middle name Patrick in recognition of Phyllis, an Irish nurse and caring neighbour who helped deliver Maté.

He attended Watson Demonstration School (now Rosary Primary School) and Belconnen High before becoming an apprentice spray painter.

Ms Cmiel said her son was destined to become an entrepreneur, jumping at the chance to have his own business.

In his teens, he was introduced to one of Canberra's most popular pet stores, Susan's Pet Supplies in Belconnen Mall.

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Maté landed a job at the popular store, and when the owners put their business on the market, he snapped it up before he turned 20.

Ms Cmiel was immensely proud of Maté's hard work and determination as he grew his business.

"He did so well - it was one of the best pet stores in Australia. He won awards every year and would beat the chain stores," she said.

Ms Cmiel said Maté was approached many times to sell his business to bigger companies, but he continued to expand his revered business.

As a boss, Maté worked closely with his team and helped a young team member find a home and pay rent so they could work at the pet shop.

"He really was a thoughtful and terrific boss," she said, "While all his friends were going out, he built that business up to be one of the best".

In his forties, Maté decided to move closer to family. He sold his business and settled at a property in Nelligen, overlooking the Clyde River.

Nelligen was a special place for Maté: he spent quality time there with his father who passed away in 2019 after his battle with emphysema.

His move to Nelligen signalled the beginning of his love of fishing.

One of his first experiences on Batemans Bay waters saw him catch a huge marlin, which Ms Cmiel recalls was longer than the boat.

He decided to have the fish mounted on his wall. The only problem was that none of his walls were wide enough to fit the monstrous catch.

The marlin made its way to the Steampacket Hotel in Nelligen where it stunned locals and tourists.

Maté was invigorated by his newfound hobby and took up a position with Catch Fishing as a sales representative in the Eurobodalla.

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Ms Cmiel said his Maté was a keen chef and constantly experimented with new recipes and ideas.

Ms Cmiel said Maté and his friend Ross Britt had recently been dreaming up new flavours of homemade sausages.

"I've still got some sausages in the freezer...he was a wonderful cook," Ms Cmiel said.

At Christmas time, Maté could always be relied on to fix a feast for his family.

She said she was grateful to have spent three weeks with Maté, who relished in discovering the communities, food and wild nature of Far North Queensland.

Maté was passionate about sharing his experiences with the world and documented his travels on TikTok, where he met like-minded travel bugs like Sharon.

Ms Cmiel said Maté wanted to "show her the ropes" and the pair set off for South East Asia in May.

Maté Bitunjac will be remembered for his free-spirited, caring and thoughtful nature. His thirst for adventure, loyalty to those he loved and innate ability to make people laugh will not be forgotten.

Maté Bitunjac will be farewelled at 10.30am on Friday, August 11 at the Norwood Park Chapel in Mitchell, ACT, followed by a wake at the Gungahlin Lakes Golf Club from 12pm.

Ms Cmiel said all are welcome to attend.