Batemans Bay Court's assistant registrar Wendy Harris says she hopes to use her own experience with grief to help other families after being sworn in as an assistant coroner.
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Ms Harris, who has worked at Batemans Bay and Moruya courts for 10 years, was sworn in during a special ceremony in Batemans Bay Local Court on Friday, August 5.
Being an assistant coroner is part of a registrar's role at a courthouse, and the appointment will allow Ms Harris to both support the registrar with coronial reports and handle them herself when she is acting registrar.
Regional courts such as Batemans Bay and Moruya can cover all jurisdictions, meaning that if someone dies via misadventure, in an accident, or due to self-harm, the coroner's report will go through the local court.
Become an assistant coroner is no mean feat, as the appointment has to be accepted by the State coroner and issued by the Attorney General.
Ms Harris said she did the training to become an assistant coroner so she could help other families going through similar grief she has experienced in her own life.
Ms Harris had a disabled daughter named Laura who died in 2016.
"I want to learn more and grow in my job, but I've also been through tragedy and have seen so many distraught families at hospitals," Ms Harris said.
"My hope is I can help people with both compassion and empathy.
"I'm also very analytical - if we get a case of self-harm, I like to work out how society let them down, and how someone could have supported the person better so it didn't get to that point.
"I want to help make people's lives a bit easier if I can."
Ms Harris' appointment is just the most recent achievement of her 10 years with the court. She started as a part-time court officer, and became a full-time clerk in 2017 after her daughter passed away.
"I was appointed as a deputy registrar in 2018, and I'm not in the acting registrar's role whenever the registrar is on leave," she said.
"I'd never worked in a court before I started here, my background was in retail. I decided to do some adult education and I was fortunate enough to come by this position through the old Commonwealth rehabilitation service.
"I have osteoarthritis in my lower back, and because Laura was severely disabled I was classed as not being able to access a lot of work at the time.
"This position came up, I was asked to apply by the Commonwealth rehabilitation service, and I was lucky enough to secure the role."
Ms Harris said it was "special" to be sworn into her new role by Magistrate Doug Dick with her family and colleagues watching on.
"When I look back to what I was 11 years ago compared with what I am today, and all the hard work I've put in, I'm very proud to have been appointed," she said.
"It meant a lot to me for Magistrate Dick to do that in the courtroom, and my husband took time of work to come and see that happen as well.
"Magistrate Dick is such a caring and compassionate man, he's always helpful to the staff, and to have my colleagues here to see this happen is very special."