The Hon Andrew Leigh MP
Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury
Member for Fenner
Bridie Lee and Ryan Riethmuller
House of Representatives,
Parliament House
Thursday, 10 September 2026
On the morning of 27 August, five members of the Canberra Bilbys Triathlon Club were riding on Gungahlin Drive when a car struck the group. Bridie Lee, 32, died at the scene. Ryan Riethmuller, 39, was critically injured and died in hospital seven days later. I thank the first responders, including parliamentary security guard Ralph Whitten.
Bridie had come to Canberra from Western Australia in 2022 to join the ABS. She leaves her parents, John and Carolyn, her brother David and her sister Amy.
At the ABS, Bridie worked on health statistics. Bindi Kindermann said Bridie brought “warmth, kindness and genuine care to every interaction”.
Her ABS colleagues called her “a ray of sunshine: incredibly intelligent, adaptable and positive”. She volunteered across the graduate program, mentored new graduates and threw herself into social events. Bindi remembers mornings chatting with Bridie in the kitchen as she made her “big cup of tea”.
That same character was evident at the Bilbys. Glen Sturesteps said Bridie “made the Bilbys a warmer, more welcoming place”, adding simply: “Bridie cared.” The night before Bridie died, Glen spoke to her about her work. She talked passionately about health, statistics and nutrition because, he said, “she believed the work mattered. She believed it could improve people's lives.”
Rachel Downes remembered a friend who “accepted people exactly as they were” and who loved “a bad pun”, usually delivered with a silly wink. Rachel said that whenever she needed to do something difficult, “I would channel my inner Bridie”.
Tom Sloan, Katie Binstock, Joe Walshe, Hayley Achurch and Gabriela Budilova remembered how, even when Bridie was sick and unable to race at Husky, “her focus was still on the people around her”.
Natasha Kosev remembered Bridie’s consistency and grit, and quoted Bridie’s own description of what triathlon had given her: “I’ve made some amazing friends, travelled to new places, and done things I never knew I was capable of.”
When Bridie was awarded Club Person of the Year, Glen said: "It didn’t surprise anyone except her.”
Matthew Beale said: “If the tragedy had happened to anyone else in the club, I would have gone to her.”
Her sister Amy said Bridie “taught me to be brave”. She remembered her as “a really kind, beautiful soul, and as the jokester who wanted to make everybody laugh”.
Ryan Riethmuller moved to Canberra from Tumut with his wife Jessie.
He was an accountant, a keen cyclist and a line-dancing champion. Every Father’s Day, he took his children Nevaeh and Noah for a ride around Lake Ginninderra. Jessie first met him at the Tamworth Country Music Festival in 2006. She remembered “his masculine cowboy style and his dance moves” and said: “Ryan and I were meant to be.”
Jessie said, “He worked his butt off and provided for us. He was a good dad, a good husband, and he even treated his clients like family.”
His Bilbys friends remembered the same generosity. They described him as “a warm, welcoming and generous guy”, with “friendly banter and dry sense of humour” that made training more enjoyable. They remembered how much joy he took in getting Noah to parkrun and sharing mountain biking and running with his children.
One Bilby recalled a 70-kilometre New Year’s Day ride over Canberra’s six peaks. They rode shoulder to shoulder for four and a half hours talking about family, work and dogs. Afterwards, Ryan rode his companion safely home before heading home, where he had promised Noah a game of frisbee golf. The rider described him as “a solid, sound, stand-up good human, with a big heart”.
Another Bilby recalled that Ryan hated running intervals as much as everyone else, but “he was at least funny in his suffering”. Another recalled Ryan saying that, although he was an accountant, he sometimes felt more like a marriage counsellor because his work had helped clients repair their relationships.
Danny Summerell said that throughout Ryan’s time in hospital, friends, teammates and colleagues took turns sitting at his bedside: “That was the level of love for Ryan.”
His mother, Margy Pullem, said: “He was loved by everyone. Not one person out there could say a bad word about my boy.”
Bridie and Ryan both came to Canberra from interstate and quickly found their place in the Bilbys. One friend said what stood out about them was how “beautifully and unashamedly themselves” they were. They gave their love to our community, and will be greatly missed.
Ends