THE CORONERS COURT

My first experience in the coroner's court was one I'm not going to forget very easily.

It was so much more than I expected. Obviously I went in knowing what I was doing, it's a place where heartbroken families go to get a hearing, and their love ones, deaths registered. However I didn't expect the level of darkness that there was. Each story was harrowing, and had a heart-aching side to it that shook me. From accidental overdoses to suicides, each story took a little piece of me away.

I went in expecting to hear about death and tragedies but I left with a real understanding of how much hurt occurs on a weekly bases. Out of the four stories we stayed for, only one gentleman died of natural causes . Now I don't attend enough to say this is an everyday occurrence , but that's still a serious number of cases to end in the same verdict, they died with intent to end their own lives. It really hit me hard how serious mental health has become.

From a journalistic perspective, It really gave me an idea of what a journalist faces when entering such a horrific environment. For starters, not all families are thrilled about having the press in when they are discussing their passed relatives. Although during my experience nobody was hostile, you can definitely feel the tension and discomfort in the room. Having to take notes was the important part, and the trickiest. Writing down every detail was key, however you needed to listen so carefully, because in these cases ever little thing needs to be correct. You cannot be getting details wrong when an emotional family is involved, as it could be consequential for you.

All in all, my first experience in court was very educational, and I know it really will have helped with my studies and hopefully my future career.