Wagga funeral director and grieving Riverina mother seek autopsy solution

Funeral director Scott Bance said coronial post mortem examinations could take up to two weeks. 

Mr Bance said it would make more sense for both coronial and non-coronial to be completed at Wagga, rather than being sent to Newcastle. 

“Some families do get fairly frustrated with the time delay,” he said. 

“It can be up to two weeks which is difficult given they want to put things in place for a funeral service. 

“It’s usually out of our hands until we get a clearer picture of where the schedule is at.” 

It’s too late for the family of Mark Jones, who died after his car left the road and caught fire in Gundagai on July 16 last year.

But mother Jill Jones said she wants to help prevent other families from going through the grueling process. 

Mrs Jones said there was already enough for the grieving family to deal with before the waiting started. 

“It’s hectic enough when a family member passes away to then go through another traumatic time,” she said. 

“We had friends come from Queensland who had to go home before the funeral because you just can’t make any arrangements.” 

Mrs Jones said the transportation took up the most time which would be eradicated if all autopsies were performed in Wagga. 

“Mark was left at Tumut Hospital until the following Thursday (four days) which was upsetting,” she said. 

“We have this terrific new hospital in such a central and large inland city, it seems crazy for it not to be here. 

“Maybe someone has to be trained in Wagga but that’s a job creation and we have the room.” 

Wagga Base Hospital director Helen Cooper said NSW Health Pathology has an anatomical pathologist who is qualified to carry out non-coronial post mortems in certain circumstances.

“Upgraded facilities for undertaking non-coronial post-mortems was completed in Stage 2 of the $282.1 million Wagga redevelopment,” she said. 

“Only a few non-coronial post-mortems have been carried out at Wagga Base Hospital in recent years.”  

Mr Bance said the local solution would make the most sense, rather than lumping Wagga in with other regional areas.