HORSHAM Rural City Council and Horsham Air Force Cadets are mourning the loss of Ian Maria, who died suddenly on Sunday.
Ian, 24, was a cadet building surveyor at the council and Commanding Officer of Horsham's 422 Squadron.
He leaves behind his parents Kevin and Wendy of Langkoop and four brothers Michael, Craig, Alex and Phillip.
Ian, a type one diabetic, died suddenly and his family awaits test results from an autopsy.
Michael Maria said his brother, an insulin-dependent diabetic since the age of four, would be dearly missed by his family, friends and work colleagues.
"When Ian was diagnosed it was only a new thing and it was only the ongoing developments in science which afforded him the lifestyle he enjoyed,'' Mr Maria said.
"He loved his job, he is quoted on the council recruitment website, and what he said he truly meant.''
Mr Maria said Ian loved being an uncle to Molly and Dennis, and self-appointed uncle to Riley and Bella, children of his friends.
Ian, who attended Naracoorte Primary School and Naracoorte High School, went on to become a builder in Naracoorte.
Mr Maria said Ian had progressed through the ranks of the Australian Air Force Cadets since joining 612 Squadron at Mt Gambier in 2002.
"He undertook a range of training, spending weekends and weeks at RAAF bases across Australia to grow skills such as weapons handling and leadership,'' he said.
"His final rank was Flying Officer but there is no doubt that he would have gone much further. He loved the organisation, the people and they loved him.
"Ian has always been community focused; growing up he played the clarinet and was in many bands.
"He recently grew a mo for Movember and gave thousands of hours to the Australian Air Force Cadets. During the recent floods, Ian spent days back-to-back assisting community members, even though his house was also under threat.''
Mr Maria said Ian was renovating a house he bought in Horsham last year.
"Ian loved his family, bush walking, extreme picnicking, riding, cadets and giving anything a go once,'' he said.
Horsham Rural City Council chief executive Peter Brown said Mr Maria was a very likeable young man and his death had devastated council workers.
"Ian was very competent at what he did, and very good with people,'' he said.
"He was a great person, well liked and respected.
"Being a building inspector is at times difficult but he always had the respect of the people he came into contact with.''
Ian's funeral will be at Naracoorte Town Hall at 11am, South Australian time, on Saturday, with a request of no flowers, and donations to be made to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
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