Kenneth and Margaret Keyte Tribute Onlinetributes.com.au

Vinnies volunteer Margaret Keyte and her husband Ken have been bashed to death at their new NSW South Coast home.

The elderly couple sat on their front porch on Sunday, enjoying their ocean view as they often did.

Within hours they were dead, the victims of a vicious bashing which left the 86 year old man and his 71 year old wife with massive head injuries.

Mr Keyte lay near his wife in the living room of the house they had moved into a little over a month ago in Batehaven on the New South Wales South Coast.

The couple's son Garry Keyte who lives two blocks away, called police after he had gone to visit his parents and noticed their cars parked outside but was worried when he could not get any answer at the house.

Post mortems are expected to determine whether a weapon was used.

Superintendent Gary Megay said it was clear there had been a struggle.

"There was obvious signs of violence. The motive for the deaths is not known," he said.

Another of the couple's sons, Donald, said: "It just shows the way the world is".

Ken and Margaret Keyte were described as long term residents and "pillars" of Batehaven's close knit retirement community.

Mr Keyte, a former truck driver, adored trucks and fixing cars, and had volunteered at a local service station until he became too frail to do so.

"They were the most respected people in town, I can't see anyone who would want to kill them," station owner Gary Bailey said.

Mrs Keyte was a volunteer who worked for St Vincent de Paul Society and other local charities, and was a devoted member of the Catholic Church, attending it almost every day to offer help.