Editorial: A tragedy that should touch us all

When Hawke's Bay Today dispatched a reporter and photographer to Elwood Rd in the early afternoon of June 29 we expected them to find a car v train - although we were puzzled how the barrier arms could have failed.

Instead, within minutes, Corey Charlton reported back that a woman had been killed after walking in front of the train travelling the track between Kenilworth Rd and Elwood Rd that fine afternoon.

We all knew what that meant. Immediately the story was downgraded.

Corey asked me some time later if he should try and contact the family. Initially, I said we would wait to see who the person was before any decision was made.

When Ann-Maree Hodges' death notice emerged a few days later, I saw she had six children, and pondered the human tragedy that had unfolded. There was something in that public notice which made me think this was a woman who had a loving family. Call it gut instinct if you like, but all I could think was: What happened?

Then I began to run through my mind a list of people I have known through the years who have taken their own lives or have tried to, and in just minutes I had ticked off a surprisingly large group.

Putting journalistic nosiness aside, the decision I then made was that we would not trouble the family. I said to the reporters in the newsroom at the time, that the family would come to us if they wanted to.

And Trevor Takerei, Ann-Maree's partner of 17 years, did just that.

I will make no comment on Trevor's issues with the authorities over her care. Hopefully the coroner and the authorities themselves will make every effort to get to the heart of the matter - the truth.

What I will say, however, is this: Hawke's Bay Today thanks Trevor for reminding us that bad things do happen to good people - and that the illness that is depression is never to be trivialised.

The young reporter who beautifully covered this story for our Saturday edition, Morgan Tait, was emotionally touched, visibly upset. Paul Taylor and Glenn Taylor, our more world-hardened photographers, also could not help but be moved by the sensitivity of their dealings with Trevor and his family.

And through the words and pictures, one could not help but feel Trevor's pain at his loss, his worries for his children in the years ahead. One could not help but realise the depth of love that existed for Anne-Maree. And yet it was not enough to save her.

As the woman sitting next to me on a plane out of Napier on Saturday succinctly said: "Terrible, just terrible."