Editorial: Coronial Everyone’s Business

A benefit of living in a small country town can be the strong sense of community, but a downside I’ve observed while reporting on many matters is people’s reluctance to ‘get involved’ when there is an issue.

But an investigation into the deaths of two of our community members deserves the whole community to get involved and not assume someone else will do it.

See story: Plea for Help at Coronial Enquiry.

The kind of information Magistrate Prowse needs is often simply anecdotal and may not relate to the specific events of either death, it may be something someone has observed more generally about alcohol consumption at the RSL.

During a coronial inquest Magistrate Prowse does not pass sentencing or convict people of crimes, he simply looks at the big picture to see if anything done to improve public safety and make recommendations.

People who provide information to the inquest may not be required to take the stand at the coronial inquest, the information may simply help Magistrate Prowse better understand how the deaths may have occurred and how other deaths could be prevented.

The court room can often be an intimidating place, but during an inquest the tone is very different.

In a criminal case witnesses can be understandably stressed and undergo cross-examination, but during an inquest it is NOT adversarial and the interest of the inquest is simply to hear from as many people as possible to better understand how the deaths occurred and what might be done to improve community safety.

I have personally heard anecdotal stories from people in the community that could be important to the inquest and encouraged them to speak to Pete Bain, even if it is simply to ask him if it may be helpful to the inquest.

Pete Bain spoke to me about his frustration when people come forward after an inquest to mention things they didn’t think were important at the time, but would have been helpful.

If you have observed something you think could provide context, don’t simply mention it to your friends, mention it to Pete: 02 8584 7732 or bain3pet@police.nsw.gov.au.

The family and friends of the deceased deserve the support of the community during this inquest, they deserve information you may have, to be heard when it counts and it may prevent another family and our community from another tragic loss.

Elizabeth Flaherty
Editor
scone.com.au