A mother's heartfelt letter to Helen Haines

Wangaratta mother's heartfelt, handwritten letter to Helen Haines Lizz Gourley met Helen Haines only a handful of times. The meetings were what you might expect with a local MP in a regional town like Wangaratta: handshakes on election day, smiles at fundraisers for the local special abilities school. But one moment, between two women and a four-week-old baby, eclipsed party politics and the business of campaigning. Today, Ms Haines remains in a critical condition in a Melbourne hospital, more than three days after she was struck by a car outside her electorate office in Victoria’s north-east. When Phil Haines shared news that his wife's heart and mind remained, but her second leg could not be saved, Ms Gourley was leaving a handwritten letter at her local MP's Wangaratta office. She attached a photo of Ms Haines looking down at her four-week-old daughter Minnie, a moment captured less than a year earlier. These are Lizz's words. Dear Helen It's hard to find the words to express how deeply sorry we all are for what has happened to you. What you have been subjected to is unfathomable, devastating and completely unacceptable. It should never have happened. Not to you, not to anyone. Since Monday, you have been constantly in my thoughts. So many people, not only in the Wangaratta community, but Australia-wide, are standing by you, willing you on and holding you and your family in our hearts. You are not alone in this fight; not now, not in the days ahead and not when the road gets difficult. I have never been an overly political person I would be the first to admit that my knowledge of politics is limited. But politics aside, I've always believed that regardless of background, beliefs, gender or religion, I am able to recognise a good person when I meet one. Helen, you are one of those people. I have met you on a handful of occasions, a couple of times at work and once at a voting station at Wereena Hall. They were brief interactions, nothing out of the ordinary, and yet they left a lasting impression on me. You were genuinely kind, warm-hearted, intelligent and compassionate. There was no pretence, no sense of someone playing a role, just a good woman who genuinely cared about the people around her. Since Monday, I have spent more time looking into your political career and the work you have done for our community. What I have found only deepened my respect for you. Your fight is only at the beginning I hope you never underestimate the strength you already possess. You have spent so much of your life showing up for others and advocating for people in your community. Now, I hope you can feel the same community showing up and advocating for you. You are so much more than your position, your title or your political career. You are a mother. A wife. A friend and a colleague, as much as you are a human who deserves safety and peace This is a photo of you with my daughter, Minnie, who was only four weeks old at the time. I have thought about this moment a lot this week. It was never a photo opportunity or political moment for you: simply a genuine interaction between two women, while we chatted about babies and midwifery. You have spent so much of your life showing up for others. Now we are showing up for you. Sending love, Lizz Gourley. Lizz Gourley is an educational support worker from Wangaratta in north-east Victoria. Her four-year-old son Roy and daughter Minnie decorated cards they left at Ms Haines's office on Wednesday night.