PETERBOROUGH -- Cpl. Nick Bulger was quiet, fun-loving and a family man, his uncle said yesterday evening as family and friends arrived at the Buckhorn home of Bulger's mother following his death in Afghanistan.

Cpl. Bulger, 30, was killed when his armoured vehicle hit an improvised explosive device about 60 km west of Kandahar city yesterday.

"It appears we've lost one of our valiant soldiers," Gen. Walter Natynczyk, Canada's chief of defence staff, said from Calgary.

"Again we grieve for our fallen warrior. We stand with their family and I know I'll meet them here in the next few days but it's a terrible situation that we're dealing with."

Ron Bulger remembered his nephew as an "awesome" person.

"He was a great guy," Bulger said. "He had lots of friends and lots of family. He loved life and loved his country.

"He was sporty, he liked fishing and camping and singing, enjoying times... He was fairly quiet, fun loving."

Bulger said his nephew didn't talk to him much about the work he did in Afghanistan. "He loved his country and wanted to do his part."

Cpl. Bulger is survived by his wife, Rebeka, a four-year-old daughter and a two-year-old daughter who live in Edmonton, his uncle said.

His mother, Kathy, lives in Buckhorn and he had a sister, Jessica, and two brothers, Christopher and Sheldon, Bulger said.

Cpl. Bulger was born in Toronto but spent most of his life in Buckhorn and went to Lakefield District Secondary School, his uncle said. He was based in Edmonton with the 3rd Battalion of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry.

He remained connected to the Buckhorn community, Buckhorn Community Centre pres. Nancy Fairweather said.

Cpl. Bulger and his platoon visited the community centre last year and gave tours of a tank to thank residents for their support and donations, Fairweather said.

"He was very quiet, kind of a little on the shy side, but very, very patriotic," she said. "They were a wonderfully gracious platoon. They were very, very sincere in their gratitude to the Buckhorn community."

In a Canada Day interview with CBC News on Wednesday, Cpl. Bulger said he believed Afghanistan had a future.

"Especially when we're driving down the streets in the rural areas, to look down into the eyes of the children that are there, you get a different perspective," he said. "All you see is the war and the destruction and stuff like that, but then when you see those kids running through the streets without a care in the world ... being here makes a huge difference."

Cpl. Bulger was in a vehicle behind Canadian Brig.-Gen. Jonathan Vance's vehicle when the blast occurred. Five other soldiers were hurt in the incident.

He believed "in being a soldier and he was proud to serve his country," Vance said in a statement.

Cpl. Bulger was part of the brigadier-general's tactical team.

"Although this was his first overseas deployment, he always handled himself as a seasoned infantry soldier and was destined for leadership training for he was passionate about being a soldier and motivated everybody around him," Vance said, adding Bulger joined the Canadian Forces in 2000.

Bulger is the 121st Canadian soldier who has died as part of the Afghan mission since it began in 2002.