Our thoughts are with you, Helen

Only hours before the attack that would leave her fighting for her life, Dr Helen Haines was in Mansfield laughing, joking and throwing shovelfuls of dirt into the air. The Member for Indi had joined Mansfield Shire councillors, council officers and community representatives at the Station Precinct last Monday afternoon for the official sod-turning for the new pump track and dog park. It was the sort of community occasion Dr Haines has attended countless times in Mansfield since entering Parliament in 2019. There were speeches, photographs and the ceremonial turning of the soil, with Dr Haines enthusiastically getting behind the shovel and sending dirt flying as those around her laughed. She spoke warmly about Mansfield and its community and celebrated another project taking shape in the shire. There was nothing to suggest how dramatically the day was about to change. As our readers would now know, only hours later, after returning to Wangaratta, Dr Haines was critically injured outside her Murphy Street electorate office. A white Toyota Landcruiser struck the 65-year-old at about 3.35pm on Monday 19 October in what investigators describe as a targeted attack. Dr Haines was initially treated locally before being airlifted to The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne with critical injuries. By Wednesday, her husband Phil Haines had confirmed surgeons had been forced to amputate both of her legs. Like many across Australia, those who had spent the early afternoon with her in Mansfield found the news difficult to comprehend. Mansfield Shire mayor Cr Steve Rabie spoke of the councillors, council officers and others that had spent the afternoon with Dr Haines at the Station Precinct. “Helen was in excellent form at the event, she spoke highly of our region and our community as she always does,” he said. Just a short time later, the photographs from the sod-turning had taken on an entirely different weight. “There’s no place in the world for what occurred yesterday in Wangaratta,” he said. “It’s an unthinkable outcome and it simply shouldn’t have happened.” The attack has shocked communities throughout Indi and prompted messages of support from across Australia. Dr Haines’ husband told media on Wednesday that despite the severity of her injuries, his wife’s “heart and her mind” remained in good shape. “The good news in all this is Helen is alive and she’s stable, that is the most important thing for our family,” Mr Haines said. He described the road ahead as long and difficult, but said his wife was determined. “Helen is a determined person who will do her best with our support and love to recover, and that’s what we hope for,” he said. As Cr Rabie said on behalf of the shire: “Our thoughts are with you, Helen.” By Jarrah Loh