Town shaken

By Tania Martin
MONBULK has been rocked by six deaths in just three months, two within one week. The town is struggling to come to terms with its latest tragedies, the deaths of Greg Andrews and Gavan Mullins who were killed in separate truck accidents, one week apart.
Mr Andrews died just after 7.45am on Wednesday 8 October, Mr Mullins was killed about 7.50am the following Wednesday, 15 October.
Mr Andrews died when he was crushed between two trucks while Mr Mullins lost his life when his truck crashed off a bridge in Sydney.
Debbie Westle, Mr Andrews’ daughter who has lived in Monbulk all her life, says she has never seen such tragedy. “There have been tragic deaths over the years, but never in such a short space of time,” she said. “It’s always been spread out over the years.”
Tragically, all of the six deaths have been linked with Monbulk College.
In July, rising soccer star Alex Webb died after a BMX accident and Year 12 student Hannah Bedford-Lee lost her life in a car accident in August. Carol Bayard, a single mother of two students, died after falling from the roof of her house in July and Leonie Urquhart, whose son attends the school, last month succumbed to a 15-year battle with melanoma cancer.
Now the deaths of Mr Andrews, a former student, and Mr Mullins, the father of two students, have added to the school’s grief.
School principal Margaret Uren said students, staff and teachers were all finding it hard to cope.
“It’s just been so constant and we just keeping adding on to the grief,” she said. “The community here is really terrific and supportive of each other.”
But Ms Uren said the school was getting extra counselling for anyone who needed it.
Monbulk Primary has also not gone unscathed with Alex Webb and Gavan Mullins also connected to the school.
Principal Ray Yates said everyone was devastated.
“We have never had a spate like this before,” he said. “I don’t know how much more we can cope with, but we have to be resilient for those affected.”
Mr Yates said the community was pulling together in its hour of grief. “That is one of the strengths of Monbulk … everyone offers their love and care and in a way that helps those who have suffered,” he said.