An army chaplain, tasked with consoling the families of four airmen who died in the Taipan helicopter crash off Queensland's coast last year, has denied telling a partner she should 'find somebody new'.
Chaplain Bruce Hammonds responded to claims he told the girlfriend of a late airman that she was young enough to "find someone else", during the Taipan inquiry.The inquiry continues, with evidence expected from QPS members, experts, and members of the 6th Aviation Regiment this week.
Chaplain Hammonds denied the accusation during questioning by Colonel Jens Streit, who is assisting former judge Margaret McMurdo in the inquiry, but admitted his recollection of that day was not accurate."She'd suffered significant loss. I certainly was not dismissive of her or minimised the pain or grief she was feeling.
The inquiry was told, since joining the army in late 2010, Chaplain Hammonds underwent minimal formal training in the process of notifying bereaved families.The inquiry also heard trust and communication issues plagued the relationship between the Australian Defence Force and Queensland Police Service during the initial investigation and recovery.
Australian Defence Force ADF Police Defence Army Accident Army Crash Chopper Crash Training Crash Helicopter Accident Widow Defence Force Army Widow Army Helicopter Crash Taipan Taipan Crash Taipan Inquiry Ndependent Inquiry Fallen Airmen Police Investigation Police Trust ADF Trust Defence Trust ADF Investigation
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