Latest news with #Bendigo
ABC News
2 hours ago
- Health
- ABC News
Midwives express remorse after home birth and Victorian baby's death
Two midwives have told a coronial inquest about their regrets after a baby died in hospital following a home birth in 2022. The infant, who can only be known as Baby R, died in August 2022 of perinatal hypoxia, six days after an emergency caesarean at Bendigo Health. The inquest, held in the Coroners Court of Victoria this week, heard two private midwives present during the home birth of Baby R conceded their care was inadequate when complications arose, and that a transfer to the hospital should have happened sooner. The Melbourne court heard Baby R's mother, a former midwife herself, wanted a "natural" vaginal home birth after a traumatic first birth in 2019, which resulted in an emergency c-section after her baby was born macrosomic (large). The inquest heard on Thursday that under Australian midwifery guidelines, Baby R's mother was not considered suitable for a home birth. Earlier this week, an obstetrician at Bendigo Health said she held concerns at the time that the two private midwives were practising "outside national midwifery guidelines". Elizabeth Murphy was Baby R's mother's primary midwife while Marie-Louise Lapeyre, the only other private midwife in the region, was also present to assist in the birth. The women were experienced home birth midwives and had worked together frequently. The inquest heard doctors Andrew Woods and Helen Cooke suggested both midwives should have discussed a transfer to hospital with Baby R's mother about four hours earlier than they did. Ms Lapeyre broke down in court as she called it a "deep regret" and that "extreme tiredness" could have impaired her decision-making during the birth. Both women had come straight from other births and had not slept. The inquest heard Baby R's mother thought she would be on her way to hospital when she passed meconium liquor, which could indicate a baby in distress. Instead, Ms Lapeyre told her they would monitor the baby more closely. "I should've given Baby R's mother a choice and I didn't, and that goes against everything I stand for as a midwife," Ms Lapeyre told the court. Ms Murphy echoed her colleague's regrets, and said the midwives should have consulted another midwife or obstetrician at that moment. "I recognise that in this situation we made mistakes and I'm so remorseful about that," Ms Murphy said. "I know that Baby R suffered because of what we did, but I think that women can have a good experience and mostly do at home, even when they're having a vaginal birth after a caesarean." Later in the labour, Ms Murphy was taking a nap at 6:55pm when Ms Lapeyre first detected that Baby R's heart rate was abnormally fast. Ms Lapeyre did not wake Ms Murphy but told the coroner's court in hindsight, she should have. The inquest heard when the baby's heart rate was again found to be too fast 50 minutes later, Baby R's mother was taken to hospital. "I'm just sorry for the journey of grief you are undertaking and will be ongoing — I know about that journey," Ms Laperye said to Baby R's parents watching the inquest online. Ms Murphy told the inquest on Thursday she maintained Baby R's mother was "suitable to have the opportunity to try and have a home birth". She told the coroner's court she felt Baby R's mother was aware of the potential risks and was "diligent" in her preparation for birth. The inquest heard that in January 2022, eight months prior to Baby R's death, Bendigo Health head of obstetrics Nicola Yuen met with Ms Lapeyre and Ms Murphy with the aim of building a "collaborative relationship". "There were a couple of times Bendigo Health became aware of women birthing in the community who were high-risk," Dr Yuen said. Dr Yuen said while Ms Lapeyre was highly engaged with Bendigo Health after the meeting, the doctor did not recall the same attitude from Ms Murphy. Dr Yuen said there was a "missed opportunity" to change the outcome for Baby R, when the baby's mother declined a routine obstetrician consultation at 36 weeks' gestation. Ms Murphy had written to Bendigo Health saying Baby R's mother did "not need" the consultation, but hospital staff flagged risks in Baby R's mother's birth history and offered it anyway. Baby R's mother said in her statement to the inquest she declined the hospital's offer as she thought it was a "box ticking exercise". Ms Murphy told the court she regretted her wording in the letter and should have written that Baby R's mother did not "want" to see an obstetrician. However, the midwife said she did not think an obstetrician would have "positively contributed" to Baby R's mother's care. She said her previous clients had been "badgered and treated unkindly by obstetricians because of the choices they were making". Ms Lapeyre said women who chose home birth were rarely respected for their choices and obstetricians often used coercive language. But, she said she would tell her patients they needed to go into a home birth "with eyes wide open" and recommended they faced their fears of seeing an obstetrician. The court has heard since Ms Murphy and Ms Lapeyre were directed not to practice private midwifery by health authorities, more women in central Victoria had chosen to "free birth" without any healthcare professional present. The inquest continues.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Iconic Australian restaurant announces shock closure after 70 years: 'So sad'
Australia's oldest Chinese restaurant will be serving up their signature Special Fried Rice and homemade dim sims for one last time before permanently closing its doors on July 30. Toi Shan Chinese Restaurant in Bendigo announced that it would be shutting for good after more than 70 years of serving the community. The restaurant's current and long serving owners, Sai Yoke 'Sue' Wong and her husband Kok Hem 'Peter' Chee, decided to close the restaurant to enjoy their retirement. A notice from Sue and Peter posted in the shopfront window titled 'Thank you and Goodbye' confirmed that they had made 'the incredibly difficult decision to close'. The owners, who are both aged in their early 70s, had reportedly been contemplating retiring from the beloved local business for several years after being unable to find anyone suitable and willing to take over. After Toi Shan Chinese closes on July 30, it will later reopen as an Indian restaurant. Sue Wong's family have run the restaurant for the past 20 years after purchasing it in 2003 from its previous owners, the Chan family. Toi Shan's history dates back to 1948, when Allan Chan took over the On Loong cookshop and renamed it the Toi Shan Cafe, referencing the southern Chinese city he was born in. Under the guidance of Allan followed by his brother Victor and eventually his son Philip and their family, the restaurant earnt a reputation as a Bendigo eatery institution. In the 1950s and 1960s, Toi Shan offered Bendigonians their very first taste of exotic cuisine and international flavours. That being said, the dishes served at Toi Shan were altered to suit local tastes and would be classified as an "Australian Chinese" menu. Some of the top sellers that have been mainstays on the menu for decades include their Honey Chicken, Lemon Chicken and of course Prawn Crackers. Before it was renamed, On Loong's history in Bendigo can be traced to 1892. At that time, the shop was located in the heart of Bendigo's 'Chinatown' on Bridge St, before later moving to the store's current location on Mitchell Street in 1942. A recent post in to the Bendigo 'Have Your Say' Facebook group about the long-running establishment's closure was met with an outpouring of disappointment and fond memory recollections. 'So sad to see this amazing Bendigo institution closing. Having worked here with 2 generations of the Chans, it's such a shame. Thank you for everything Toi Shan,' read one reply. 'Fabulous food and a nod to our original Chinese Restaurant in Bendigo. You will be sadly missed.' 'Love Toi Shan. Both our families been going there for decades. Absolutely love their Chinese food. Will be very sadly missed,' added another. 'So sad. It's been there as long as I can remember. My Dad used to take us there when we were kids and have been going there since on occasions for lunch and takeaway,' a third person said 'Very Sad. Every time I travel to Bendigo over last 40 years it has always been a must go to place. Never once had meal I wasn't happy with,' read a Facebook reply to a separate post about the closure. When Toi Shan first opened its doors in Bendigo, it was the only other dining establishment in town, besides the pub. 'Restaurants like Toi Shan are important because they tell a story about Australia that's unique to their time and place,' Jennifer Wong, co-author of Chopsticks or Fork?, a book and TV series celebrating regional Chinese restaurants, told Good Food. The restaurant was even the subject of a 1991 TV documentary segment on the ABC program, A Big Country. Bendigo has had a thriving Chinese community since the mid-1800s when many migrants inspired by the goldrush era moved to the country town . Today, the town continues to have a vibrant Chinese community, and its history is documented and celebrated in the Golden Dragon Museum in Bendigo.
ABC News
3 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
Inquest begins into Baby R's death at Bendigo Health after planned home birth
A coroner's court has heard a mother whose baby died after a home birth in central Victoria, did not want to deliver at a local hospital after facing a traumatic first birth in 2019. Baby R, as the infant is being referred to during the coronial inquest, died from perinatal hypoxia in August 2022 after an emergency caesarean at Bendigo Health. The parents of Baby R, who cannot be identified, read statements to the court in Melbourne today on day one of the inquest. The court heard the baby boy's parents initially assumed they would be unable to have a home birth as their first child was born by emergency caesarean in 2019. However two different doctors referred Baby R's mother to private midwives as part of her options for her second birth. Baby R's mother described a "what if" moment during the home birth, when she noticed meconium liquor as she moved from her bedroom to the lounge room. Meconium liquor is waste usually passed by a baby after birth. In her statement to the court, the mother recalled saying "oh f***", and assumed she would be on her way to hospital. "I remember [the midwife] Mary Louise just saying, 'We'll monitor you more closely'," the mother said in her statement. The baby's mother was herself a registered midwife and had worked as both a nurse and midwife before leaving healthcare following a difficult first birth. The statement from Baby R's father painted the home birth as "calm", before he and the baby's mother made the decision to quickly go to Bendigo Health after complications arose. A midwife called ahead to the hospital to prepare. "When they came to me they said she was having a caesar. I thought 'Oh, here we go again," Baby R's father said. He said after the birth, the baby "wasn't breathing, wasn't squawking". "They took him straight to [paediatrics]," he said. The court also heard Baby R's mother declined an appointment with an obstetrician prior to the birth. She said it felt like an administrative call and questioned why it would be necessary, as no health care providers had flagged the need for an obstetrician consult pre-birth. "It felt like a box ticking exercise," her statement said. Counsel assisting told the court a consultant obstetrician at Bendigo Health assessed Baby R's mother as "high risk" after reviewing her file following the birth. GP Dr Veronica Moule had a 12-week prenatal consultation with Baby R's mother in 2022 and gave evidence on Monday. The court heard Dr Moule was not made aware the mother had a postpartum haemorrhage following her first birth. "I did not receive a discharge summary from Bendigo Health after that; that's where the information would've been written," Dr Moule said. Dr Moule said had she known, she may not have said Baby R's mother was a suitable candidate for a vaginal home birth. "The outcome was tragic," she said. When questioned if it was possible to make an informed decision without a consultation with an obstetrician pre-birth, Dr Moule said "possibly not." Coroner Dimitra Dubrow indicated on Monday morning both midwives involved in Baby R's birth would object to giving evidence in the coronial inquest. The court heard the midwives, Marie-Louise Lapeyre and Elizabeth Murphy, were concerned the evidence may expose them to civil liability. Following investigations by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency and the Nursing and Midwifery Board, both Ms Murphy and Ms Lapeyre have been told they cannot practise as private midwives, along with other conditions. The inquest will continue tomorrow.
ABC News
6 days ago
- Sport
- ABC News
Junior football club allowed convicted sex offender to time-keep at match
A regional Victorian football club allowed a convicted sex offender to volunteer at a junior game in what it now admits was a "gap" in child safety processes. Bendigo father Sonny Middleton served six months in prison after pleading guilty in 2024 to the indecent assault of an 18-year-old woman. Earlier this month, multiple parents saw Middleton time-keeping at a White Hills Junior Football Club match in Bendigo and told the ABC they were concerned the club was allowing a sex offender to participate in children's sport. Middleton, who is a former White Hills footballer himself, confirmed to the ABC he attended his son's game on July 20 and volunteered as a time keeper but said he did nothing wrong. "I'm a good person," he said. "I'm a family man, I'm a businessman." Middleton was unable to confirm whether he held a valid Working with Children Check which volunteers at sporting clubs must hold under Victoria's Child Safe Standards. The White Hills Junior Football Club declined to respond to questions from the ABC about whether it checked Middleton's Working with Children Check status. In a statement drafted with the assistance of the AFL, a club spokesperson said it was "currently investigating a matter relating to a parent who assisted the team by running the time clock at a recent match". "The parent filled in when the normal time clock person was unavailable and the parent had no interaction with the playing group on the day," it said. "Our club, run by volunteers, takes its commitment to the safety and wellbeing of everyone extremely seriously, and especially the safety of children and young people." Sporting clubs in Victoria are required to meet the Victorian Children's Commissioner's Child Safe Standards which include a current Working with Children Check for volunteers. The Commission for Children and Young People's guide to the Child Safe Standards states that "failing to properly check references can compromise child safety". The White Hills Junior Football Club is now reviewing its policies and procedures and promised to "implement any necessary corrective actions immediately." "Our focus remains on ensuring strong safeguards and ongoing compliance to maintain a safe and supportive environment for all players, families, and spectators," a spokesperson said. AFL Victoria and AFL Central Victoria did not respond to questions. The White Hills Junior Football Club plays in the Australian Football League (AFL) Central Victoria region, which is managed by Cameron Tomlins. In a phone call with the ABC, Mr Tomlins repeatedly said it was his job to "protect" the junior football club because it was run by volunteers. Sport Integrity Australia (SIA) safeguarding director Lisa Purves disagreed. She said every level of sport, including volunteer-run clubs, had a legislative requirement to check volunteers' backgrounds including a valid Working with Children Check. "Where they do know of a risk, and they do know of a person having a conviction, then they do need to take steps to ensure that … all members are provided with a safe environment," Ms Purves said. "They [clubs] have a responsibility to do this. If they don't do it then what happens is the next royal commission, we have opportunities for children and young people … to be harmed in sport, and that's not what we want. "It's not just about turning up to play your sport." Ms Purves also observed that governing bodies could be reluctant to police volunteers because people were giving up their time to run the sport. "I want to recognise the difficulty that people running these clubs might have. Yes, more needs to be done, and the sport itself needs to help the grassroots clubs manage this better."
ABC News
21-07-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Bendigo concussion clinic booked out as patients travel 200km for treatment
On bad afternoons for a few months last year, 24-year-old concussion victim Jeremy Rodi would forget how he had spent the day. Constant migraines, nausea and fatigue made it one of the most terrifying periods of his life, and he became anxious about his future. "My close family was quite scared. It was just so uncertain how I was going to wake up feeling," Mr Rodi said. "Am I [going to be] able to do the normal things that parents do with their kids? Mr Rodi is aware of six concussions he suffered while playing football, including as a talented junior footballer who went through Victoria's elite under-18 competition. He said he had "no idea" some of the blows would have such a big impact on him in his treatment, Mr Rodi saw a specialist in Melbourne. Now, a concussion clinic has opened in the regional city where he lives, Bendigo, and appointments are booked out. The AFL has faced a reckoning over its concussion management since former players suffering the long-term effects of concussion launched a class action. It introduced policies for players and clubs at elite and local levels after a series of high-profile cases of former players with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease caused by repeated head injuries. As awareness of concussion grows, so too does demand for treatment in regional areas. Daniel Hamilton is a sports physiologist and physiotherapist who opened a dedicated concussion clinic in Bendigo in February, the first of its kind in Victoria outside of Melbourne and Geelong. "People are probably travelling between 100 and 200 kilometres," Mr Hamilton said. Mr Hamilton said most of his patients had suffered head knocks during weekend community football. And even though Australian football is the leading cause of sport-related concussion in Victoria, he said many local club officials were not aware of the education resources available. "That's half the battle," Mr Hamilton said. Mr Rodi agreed there was not enough concussion awareness at a local sporting level. "If you get hit in the head and you're not feeling right, you need to come off and we need to assess you," he said. It is estimated that more than 100,000 sports concussions occur each year in Australia, most unreported, according to AIS Sports Concussion Guidelines analysis. Mr Hamilton said he hoped his outreach educational programs on concussion with local clubs would broaden awareness on how to manage head knocks. "We need to go through the right protocol and the right rehabilitation," he said. "Things like change of work, change of school [and] lifestyle modification can make a big difference to minimising the risk of getting those symptoms that last for six to eight to 12 weeks. AFL Victoria advises clubs to use the HeadCheck App, an evidence-based phone application that helps identify concussions. "Anything that can guide people without the medical knowledge or background is beneficial at the moment," Mr Hamilton said. However, neuroscience academic Alan Pearce said the management and understanding of concussion in sport should not be based on a phone app. "One of the things about concussion is that it's a medical diagnosis and no-one else other than a medical doctor can diagnose a concussion," he said. "What clubs really should be doing is more than just rely on an app. "Community clubs around Victoria and Australia really need to be developing relationships with their local concussion clinics and doctors in order to be able to look after their players properly." There is one concussion per 20 players each season in community football, according to the AFL. But Dr Pearce said he believed the actual figure was six to 10 times higher. "Many physios and osteos and doctors don't really know what to do," he said. AFL Victoria has been contacted for comment.
