Moreton Bay boating tragedy: Read the final texts Robert Holden sent to his wife before storms capsized his boat

A father-of-three who died after his boat capsized on an annual fishing trip in ferocious Boxing Day storms had texted his wife during his distressing final moments. 

Robert Holden, 48, was with 11 other men on the 39-foot vessel in Moreton Bay, north of Brisbane, when the vicious storm rolled through about 4.50pm on Tuesday. 

Mr Holden and his mates David Logan and Stephen Tait were all killed when their boat capsized. The others on board survived.

Mr Holden’s wife Michelle had texted him five minutes before the storm hit, asking if he was heading back because a ‘bad storm’ was on the way and she was worried. 

‘I had messaged Rob saying ”there’s a bad storm coming honey, I’m worried … are you still out on the water?” and he said ”yes we are, it may be safer for us to stay here”,’ she told The Courier Mail.

Rob Holden had texted his wife Michelle (pictured together) minutes before he drowned while on a fishing trip with mates on Boxing Day

Pictured are text messages between Robert Holden and his wife Michelle before he was killed when wild storms capsized his boat

She then sent her husband a photo of the rain radar but didn’t hear from him until 5pm when he pocket dialled her.

When she tried to call him back, the line was busy. 

‘He was on the phone to my daughter … (she) called me and said ”did you have a weird phone call from dad”, I said ”yes … what’s happened?” and she said ”mum it sounded like he was under a heap of blankets”.’

She then received a final text from her husband that read: ‘we.ducked’.

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‘(He) was trying to say ”we are f****d” but he never swore so I knew something was very, very wrong,’ she said.

The 39-foot vessel (pictured) was battered by a wild storm that lashed the southeast Queensland coast on Tuesday afternoon

Mr Tait’s brother, Andrew, was also on board and survived, with the vessel owned by a third Tait brother, Graham, who was back on shore. 

At 4.45pm when Mrs Holden had texted her husband, Graham Tait was also texting Stephen with the same concerns and asking if they were heading back. 

As the storm hit minutes later with force strong enough to blow out the ship’s glass windows, Mr Holden and Stephen, described by Mrs Holden as great friends who would not leave each other, were below deck.

Andrew Tait was holding the cabin door open for them so they would not get trapped, but when the vessel capsized the pair became disorientated. 

Former Queensland rugby players David ‘Mario’ Logan (left) and Stephen ‘Taity’ Tait (right) also died in the boating tragedy

Mr Holden was remembered as a ‘good man through thick and thin’ by his son Joshua

Mr Holden’s son Joshua said his father was found with a nasty lesion on his forehead and he believes he had knocked his head and was unconscious when he drowned. 

Police divers who later attended the capsized vessel did not find the pair for hours due to the water turning ‘black’ from the boat’s leaking diesel fuel. 

Mrs Holden said her husband was ‘unrecognisable’ when she had to formally identify his body. 

Joshua described his father as a hero and said he believes he was trying to make sure the others on board were safe when he became trapped in the ship’s hull. 

He said his father was ‘a good man through thick and thin’ and the ‘reliable provider’ of the family. He has launched a GoFundMe in support of his mother.