by Robin Bowles
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thanks to all who have assisted me in researching this very painful and personal story. Particularly Phoebe’s family, especially her mother, Natalie Handsjuk, her grandfather Lorne Campbell, her grandmother Jeannette Campbell, and her father, Len Handsjuk. Friends of Phoebe and Antony shared memories and personal details, despite having to re-live the awful events of 2 December 2010 and since; thanks also to Ant Hampel for his brief contribution.
Unfortunately, the Hampel family did not otherwise wish to directly contribute to the book, for personal reasons.
Others who did contribute were Linley Godfrey, for some stunning photographs of Phoebe; Eric Giammario, for his friendly availability in several conversations; Neil Bone, whom the Coroner also singled out for special thanks for his assistance well beyond the ‘call of duty’; and several police officers who cannot be named.
Throughout the book, occasionally an asterisk appears beside a person’s name the first time it is used. This designates a pseudonym, used to protect that person’s privacy.
I owe thanks to Coroner Peter White, who kindly agreed to allow me to print his finding as an appendix and the staff at the Coroners Court for provision of material I relied heavily upon in this book. As there was a suppression order on the contents of the police brief, that was not one of my sources, but my own research has of necessity turned up quite a bit of information that I suspect will be somewhere in the brief, and there is nothing to prevent me from relying on my own research.
The Coroner’s full finding, with attachments, is nearly 100 pages, so as this book is already long and detailed, a publishing decision was made not to include the finding. But I urge you to read it — it can be downloaded from the Coroners Court of Victoria: http://www.coronerscourt.vic.gov.au/home/coroners+written+findings/findings+-+460510+phoebe+handsjuk
You will also see on the www some responses to the finding, posted by the manufacturers of the drug Stilnox and another by Lorne Campbell.
Finally, to all those who contribute to creating a book from my manuscript — my husband Clive, who puts up with my many days of absence, locked in my office surrounded by statements, transcripts, photo, notes, etc, all over the desk and floor; my patient and painstaking editor, Jenny Lee, who attacks the slightest possible mistake like a terrier with a bone and massages, rewrites, removes boring stuff, and generally works her magic on my books (this was a hard one!); the team at Scribe Publications, which took up the challenge of publishing this rather controversial story; and my little dog, Miss Deva, who keeps me company on research trips or just lies at my feet in the office for hours, waiting patiently to hear the sound of keys in my hand.
Finally, thanks to my readers! There’s no point writing a book if no one reads it, and I’ve been fortunate to have developed a large band of followers who tell me they enjoy my books. So keep reading, and I will try to keep writing!
ROBIN BOWLES
Melbourne
[email protected]
