A grief stricken woman made a heart wrenching discovery following the tragic death of her childhood sweetheart.
Nathan Scholz died at a remote mine in South Australia in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
The 25-year-old had been preparing to fly to Fiji next week with his partner Bianca Sonntag before tragedy struck.
It is understood he was on foot when he was struck by a vehicle at BHP's giant copper mine at Olympic Dam, where he worked as a truck driver.
Mr Scholz was declared dead at the scene and a police investigation is now underway.
On the night of his death, Ms Sonntag and her parents Jeff and Angela found a ring he was planning to take to Fiji.
The truck driver had been planning to ask Ms Sonntag to marry him and had "the most romantic evening planned," family said.
In preparation of the special moment, he had also taken "the best bottle of wine" he could buy to Ms Sonntag's parents' home and asked for their blessing.
"In a week's time, we were off to Fiji. "He (had) the most romantic evening planned to propose," Ms Sonntag told the Adelaide Advertiser.
She told how Mr Scholz was not only her partner of 11 years, but also her best friend who was "like a son" to her parents.
"He had a heart of gold and the greatest sense of humour. He was loved by his beautiful family," she said.
"He will be forever in our hearts."
Mr Scholz and Ms Sonntag studied together at Nuriootpa High School, in the Barossa Valley near Adelaide.
"He was one of the smartest kids in our year … always blitzing his grades and getting school awards," Ms Sonntag added.
Mr Scholz began work for BHP contractor Murray Engineering as a diesel service technician in July 2021, and was working as a truck driver at Olympic Dam.
Police officers attended the scene of the accident within the mine's borders.
The Mirror Online has contacted BHP for comment.
Speaking previously, a spokesperson said: "We are deeply saddened to confirm that a member of our workforce died this morning at our Olympic Dam site.
"Our thoughts are with the person's family, friends and colleagues and we are offering all the support we can during this difficult time."
