The experienced Canadian pilot in the Australian sea-plane crash on New Year's Eve in which five Britons were also killed was a devout Christian who read the Bible daily and 'committed every flight to the Lord' in prayer.

Gareth Morgan, who was 44, 'was a warrior for Christ and committed every flight to the Lord,' his flatmate Luke Thornley, from Enfield in Sydney, told the Australian Daily Telegraph.

'He read the Bible every day and would always say a prayer to bless every plane he flew and keep him and his passengers safe before flying.

'When I'd come home at night he would have praise and worship songs playing on his 60-inch TV on YouTube.

'He only moved into the house two weeks ago and had time for everyone.

'He loved having things neat and tidy, the house is horribly quiet without him.'

The Vancouver-born pilot first arrived in Sydney eight years ago to live in the beachside suburb of Cronulla, the Telegraph reported.

Two years ago, he headed to the Maldives after being offered a job as co-pilot for Maldivian Seaplanes, before returning to Australia in May, 2017, after accepting a job as pilot with Sydney Seaplanes.

At the Pentecostal Jubilee Church he attended in Waverley, eastern Sydney, he was known as the quiet, humble man at the back of the church, the Telegraph said.

'He was a gentle, quiet and incredibly kind,' Pastor Fini de Gersigny said.

'He lived for God and would stand at the back of the church every Sunday, dressed immaculately.

'He was super sober and clean-living, a true gentleman with a big heart.'

Richard Cousins, the head of the catering giant Compass, was among five British passengers killed in the crash north of Sydney, along with his two sons, aged 23 and 25, his 48-year-old fiancée and her 11-year-old daughter.