Tough nights for priest after crash

Sydney
16 February 2003

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Tough nights for priest after crash

By Damir Govorcin

Helensburgh parish priest Fr Patrick Vaughan admits he has had trouble sleeping since the Waterfall train disaster.

Fr Vaughan was one of the first priests to reach the train wreckage, four kilometres south of Waterfall station. The accident took the lives of seven people and injured 45.

In his 11 years as a priest, Fr Patrick has watched people dying in hospitals, but nothing had prepared him for what he was about to witness.

He walked through bushland before being picked up by an ambulance and taken to the site.

For four hours he performed the Anointing of the Sick to the dying, comforted the injured and supported the emergency workers.

"Visually it's still strong in my mind," says Fr Patrick. "Being there and seeing the crushed cabins of the carriages.

"It's a miracle more people weren't killed. The first couple of nights were tough, and I didn't get much sleep. I haven't had to resort to sleeping pills."

The parish priest was alerted to the accident by a parishioner, and initially feared that schoolchildren, who catch that train, were injured or killed.

"I was tying my shoelaces and my hands were shaking," he says.

"I had fear because I didn't know if I would cope. But the overriding factor was that I wanted to be there.

"When I got to the site I had the feeling of disbelief, fear and uselessness.

"I performed the Anointing of the Sick to the people who had died; and the people I couldn't get to, I just prayed for them."

"I had the feeling that God was there, which gave me great strength and comfort."

Fr Patrick spent time on the side of the tracks talking with the injured who were willing to share their stories of terror.

"I think it made them feel better that someone was giving them care and support," he says.

"There was no anger with the people; they were just grateful to be alive.

"One lady who was on a stretcher told me that her husband was home painting the house, and probably hadn't heard what happened."

Since the accident, Fr Patrick has sought solace in his family, friends and other priests as he has struggled to deal with his emotions.

He says Bishop Peter Ingham, Bishop of Wollongong, has been a shoulder to lean on.

"I have been depressed, but I haven't tried to keep my emotions bottled in," he says.

"Bishop Ingham has been absolutely wonderful. He has been compassionate … like a father. He has really been concerned with how I am doing."

Fr Patrick's contribution at the accident site hasn't gone unnoticed among the Helensburgh parishioners.

He has remained a tower of strength in a community struggling to deal with the tragedy.

"At Mass, you can't break down and cry because you have to be strong for the people," the priest says.

"A lady stood up after a Mass and thanked me on behalf of the community for what I had done.

"It brought me to tears. You don't go looking for pats on the back, but it was a wonderful affirmation."