Canberrans have been urged to demand "serious systemic change" to prevent more young lives being lost to mental health and addiction issues, as a memorial was unveiled to honour a "one of a kind" woman.
Bronte Haskins, 23, died by suicide in February 2020 after what a coroner recently described as a series of "lost opportunities" to get the "deeply troubled" woman the help she desperately needed.
While coroner James Stewart found no single person could be blamed, he highlighted a mental health nurse's failure to correctly triage Bronte when her mother sought assistance days before her death.
He was also "genuinely shocked" at the under-resourcing of services that might have been able to make a difference.
As mother Janine Haskins continues her fight to hold agencies accountable for what she describes as "reprehensible" failures to keep Bronte safe, another three-year battle concluded on Saturday.
Wearing a "Justice for Bronte" shirt, Ms Haskins visited her daughter's favourite place, Shepherds Lookout in Holt, to unveil a bench she had tirelessly lobbied to have installed to honour the 23-year-old's legacy.
Hundreds of people had signed a petition in favour of the memorial for the woman known as "Poppy", who rescued a drowning person in 2011 before saving a further four lives through organ donation.
Described as a "super loyal" person, Bronte also loved animals and fostered many dogs.
While the initial approval for the memorial only allowed for what Ms Haskins described as a standard bench with a plaque, "there was nothing standard about Bronte" and the end result, after some "robust conversations", was "a unique piece of art for our Poppy girl".
"She was one of a kind, an outside-the-box kind of person, our wild child," Ms Haskins said.
'Disturbing for all Canberrans'
Saturday's unveiling also heard a powerful speech written by Ms Haskins' friend Ros Williams, who has been battling for coronial reform since the death of her son, Ben, in 2010.
Ms Williams said the inquest findings about Bronte's death "should be disturbing for all Canberrans".
"They clearly indicate that there were far too many times in the days just prior to Bronte's death when focused, planned action by any of a number of individuals, working in agencies with whom Bronte had contact, could likely have averted the tragic outcome," she said in the speech, which was read aloud on her behalf.
She went on to write that coroners had "heard this all before, but continue to make weak, ineffective recommendations that will change nothing", while politicians "take little action".
"We now have a beautiful bench here, in a stunning location," Ms Williams wrote.
"I urge each of you when you take your seat and look at the Murrumbidgee rolling away into the distance to think of Bronte and the others gone too early.
"I also ask that you take some action to demand serious systemic change in the ACT so that at least some of the young lives lost to various addictions and poor mental health can be saved."
Bill Bush, the president of Families and Friends for Drug Law Reform, shared similar thoughts, calling for an end to the "marginalisation" of people who use illicit substances.
Mr Bush called for drug addiction to be treated as a health issue rather than a problem requiring a response from the criminal justice system, in which Bronte was entangled at the time of her death.
Bronte had only been granted bail days before her suicide, having spent nearly two weeks behind bars on remand on charges that included three counts of drug-driving.
Mr Bush said the sooner a health-focused approach became the default response to addiction, the sooner people would no longer have to feel the pain of coming together for gatherings like the one held on Saturday.
- Support is available for those who may be distressed. Phone Lifeline on 13 11 14, Mensline on 1300 789 978, Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800, beyondblue on 1300 224 636, or 1800-RESPECT on 1800 737 732.
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