Jess Patience, 36, killed in Golden Plains wind turbine tragedy in Victoria

A man killed by a turbine blade at a wind farm in Victoria’s west has been identified as a “top fella” and “beloved friend” who always had time for others.

Installation technician Jess Patience, 36, was crushed to death at the Golden Plains Wind Farm in Rokewood on Monday.

Kind donations totalling more than $100,000 have poured into an online fundraiser to pay for the subcontractor’s funeral and support his grieving wife amid her “unimaginable loss”.

One anonymous donor contributed $25,000 to the fund.

“I am writing to share the heartbreaking news of the passing of our beloved friend Jess Patience,” campaign organiser Lee Denko said.

“As we come to terms with this unimaginable loss, we want to honour his memory and support his family during this difficult time.

“Your contribution, no matter how small, will make a significant difference.”

In another tribute on social media, Patience was described as a generous colleague.

“Jess was one of the most friendly guys I’ve met and took me under his wing to teach me a lot in the time I worked with him,” the tribute on Facebook said.

“He was always down for a chat about a lot of our shared experiences from growing up in the ranges to living in Canada, he was a top fella.

“This tragedy has resulted in someone not returning home from work and has left behind his wife.”

Patience was critically injured about 8am on Monday when it is understood a turbine blade at ground level dislodged from a supporting platform.

He was declared dead at the scene west of Melbourne when first responders could not revive him.

Patience’s death was the 38th confirmed workplace fatality for 2024.

The Australian Workers Union slammed Vestas, the Danish wind giant delivering the project, saying it had engaged non-unionised workers on dangerous on-site jobs.

The union said serious safety concerns were flagged at the worksite and raised with Vestas only weeks before the tragedy.

Danny Nielsen, the Australian head of Vestas, said the company was devastated for the man’s family and colleagues.

”With workplace safety as our number one priority, the site has been closed and we are working closely with the authorities including the police and WorkSafe Victoria to investigate what happened and work with the project partners to take steps to prevent it from recurring in the future,” Nielsen said on Monday.

Nielsen said Vestas meets with unions “every single week” and they discuss a “broad range of matters”.

“To my knowledge, this particular (concern) had not been discussed in any meeting,” he said.

The Golden Plains Wind Farm project is slated to be the biggest wind farm in the southern hemisphere, and once completed would generate around 9 per cent of Victoria’s current energy demand.

WorkSafe is investigating and the project has been halted.