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I got involved with Christmas Island through this Sydney-based family of one of the orphans
of the Christmas Island boat disaster. Because of my involvement with the family, when they
were contacted in relation to the inquest that was being heard before the coroner in
Western Australia, they came to me and asked if I could assist. I spoke to Claire O’Connor
a barrister in Adelaide and we both flew to Perth to attend the initial hearings of the
inquest. But it soon became obvious that the task was beyond both Claire and my financial
capacity and our resources. Claire, who had met Steve Roche (Shine Lawyers) at a conference,
suggested Shine Lawyers get involved and I’ve been very honoured since that date because
Shine Lawyers have really come to the party and assisted both the survivors and the families
of the deceased and Claire and I in doing a fantastic job before the inquest. If it
wasn’t for Shine there is no way that the families would have been represented on Christmas
Island. Because legal aid had been denied to all the families, Shine ensured that there
was a legal team and legal counsel who appeared at the inquest on Christmas Island and also
ensured that critical information was brought before the coroner, in particular some information
that one of the husbands of some people who died on the vessel was actually on Christmas
Island that evening and told Serco guards that the boat was expected shortly. Now this
was information that would not have come before the coroner without the hard work of Shine
Lawyers.