Kerre Woodham: Senseless actions

Nayan Woods. Photo / Supplied

The only thing worse than losing a child would be to lose a child through the mindless stupidity of someone else.

It's traumatic enough to lose a child after a battle with a terminal illness, or an accident where no one else was involved.

But to have a child killed because of someone's thoughtless action would add another layer of pain.

My thoughts are with two families this week. One is the family of Rose Ives, the daughter, partner, teacher and outdoors enthusiast who was shot by a gun-toting man on Labour Weekend.

Rose Ives was camping at a DoC camp site and went to clean her teeth. Andrew Mears mistook her for a deer and shot her. Despite the desperate efforts of her partner, fellow campers and emergency services personnel, Rose was mortally wounded and could not be saved.

The shooter, Andrew Mears, is reported to be distraught but I'm not sure that would be much comfort to Rose's family and friends who farewelled the gifted, talented woman on Thursday.

Mears flouted every rule of hunting: he shot from an open road; he was shooting near a DoC campsite - on Labour Weekend, for heaven's sake, when anyone with a brain would imagine people would be staying there - and, above all, he failed to identify his target.

He's not the first hunter to do that and he won't be the last but, if he'd had even a modicum of understanding of the responsibilities that come with using a firearm, then Rose would still be alive and Mears wouldn't be left with the nightmares and regrets that will surely haunt him for a lifetime.

And then there were Emma and Duncan Woods, the parents of 4-year-old Nayan who was killed when an 18-year-old driver lost control of his illegally modified car, mounted a footpath and ploughed into Mrs Woods, Nayan and Nayan's brother Jacob. The accident devastated the Woods family but, even in the midst of their grief, they forgave the driver of the car.

Because of the family's intervention, Ashley Austin was spared a jail term and instead was sentenced to community detention, community service and banned from driving for three years.

The Woods family also asked Austin to honour the spirit of their boy and "to make a positive impact on all those others in the community in which you live". Nayan would have, they said, and Austin owed it to them to do the same.

Their spirit of forgiveness is humbling. I don't think I could ever be as generous and I hope to God I'm never tested. I know accidents happen and that's bad enough; but when accidents are caused by others' carelessness, stupidity and recklessness, that must be an even greater cross to bear.