A RESPECTED Swan Hill secondary teacher who took his own life told his family he “struggled being confined to his apartment” during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
State Coroner John Cain last Friday revealed the 30-year-old teacher, whose name has not been publicly released, was able to purchase 250 grams of a dangerous chemical from an interstate supplier, despite the supplier contacting NSW Police to say they had a “bad feeling” about the sale.
The teacher, who started teaching in the rural city at the start of 2020, was described as a “very quiet and reserved person at school”.
His principal said he quickly “made a number of positive relationships with other staff members and was gaining the respect of the students”.
The man’s colleagues found him dead on June 3, 2020 at home after he failed to show up for work and hadn’t called in sick.
The chemical the teacher purchased is often used in the illicit drug trade, and suppliers are supposed to flag suspect sales of it with police.
The lab’s general manager rang Parramatta Police station after the teacher placed his order, saying she “had a bad feeling about this customer”, but drug investigators did not return the lab’s call.
The teacher would not have been able to purchase the chemical in Victoria, where only medical practitioners, chemists, and some industrial workers with a government-issued permit can purchase it, and similar, strict protocols are in place in NSW to regulate the sale of the chemical.
“I am concerned with the ease in which … was able to obtain the (drug) and what appears to be noncompliance with the regulatory framework by Bacto Laboratories,” Mr Cain said.
The COVID pandemic did not result in any significant changes to suicide rates, but Mr Cain said it might have played a role in the teacher’s death.
“The pandemic and the measures implemented by governments to halt its spread have caused psychological distress for many Victorians and have been an important contextual factor in individual Victorians’ decisions to take their own lives,” he said.
Mr Cain said recent research showed “COVID-19 has been a significant stressor for some – eroding our sense of agency, affecting our general wellbeing, and impeding our connections with others”.
“Our experiences in coping and dealing with the pandemic will be analysed over the coming months and years to determine what went well and what could have been done
better.
“This information will be crucial in informing future government policy and allocation of resources to support our recovery and build our resilience.
“The Coroners Court of Victoria will continue to assist this task by regularly publishing updated suicide statistics and relevant findings where appropriate.”
Anyone requiring urgent help can call Lifeline’s 24-hour number, 131 114. For crisis support, call Beyond Blue, 1300 224 636, headspace, 1800 650 890, or Kids Helpline, 1800 551 800.
