Mr Wells, 22, died in a car accident on April 15 while heading home to get ready for a night at the Manilla Bowling Club, where he was to celebrate his engagement with his fiance Tara and their family and friends.

Months later, the Manilla community united at the weekend where a memorial two-day carnival was held in his honour.

In a remarkable twist of fate, Mr Wells’ father Graham, brother Dylan and family friend Cameron Yates took out first prize on the day, winning six games and coming home with $2100.

“It was a great weekend,” Ryan’s father Graham told The Leader

“It was an awesome event, everyone who helped out and all the bowlers who turned up and have given their support over the last couple of months has been fantastic.

“It has been pretty hard to take, but winning the bowls [at the weekend] made us feel very proud.” 

Among the band of supporters was the Manilla Bowling Club Operations Manager Kathleen Cassidy, who described Mr Wells as an emerging star on the bowling green before his tragic death.

“Ryan was coming home, we had a party organised here on the Friday night – it was his engagement party and he never made it home for it,” she said.

“He was a young up and coming bowler and his brother and father are big bowlers so we decided to dedicate the carnival to him.

“We had 26 teams of three and quite a few spectators, it was such a great turnout.

“A friend of theirs donated a fully-signed [West] Tigers jersey and that was raffled off. Our vice president won that and donated it back to them.”

Mrs Cassidy said the Bowling Club plans to make the memorial shield an annual event.