Tuesday, 9 September 2025

Ian Wilkinson

Renee HEATH (Eastern Victoria) (14:13): Yesterday was the sentencing of triple murderer Erin Patterson. But today I do not want to talk about her. I want to talk about the response of the sole survivor. Pastor Ian Wilkinson is the pastor of the Baptist Church in Korumburra. I have watched in awe over the past two years seeing the type of person that he is. Through what has been described as one of the worst crimes in the world, he would have been well within his rights to show vindictiveness, victimisation and anger. But he has done the complete opposite. He has shown forgiveness, thankfulness and kindness. After losing his beautiful wife of 44 years Heather, who he spoke of with affection, describing her as his soulmate and constant companion, and after losing his best friends Don and Gail, he did the unthinkable: he extended forgiveness. And then yesterday, after the woman who murdered them received a triple life sentence, he made another public statement. This time his message was thankfulness. He encouraged everyone, from police to healthcare workers, to keep showing up and helping others, and he implored everyone and all of us to show kindness. That is pretty incredible. Forgiveness, thankfulness and kindness – sometimes hearing those words can seem quite flaky, but when you see those words in action, they seem to be like a sledgehammer when it comes to impact. So today I want to give a shout-out to somebody who has blazed a new trail in the most horrific situation, who was shown a response that is well and truly countercultural: Pastor Ian Wilkinson, thank you for showing us a new way.