Is a lecture like this in store for Sophie Elliott's mum? (Jul. 16, 2009)

Note the question that accompanies this sensitive little essay. By
posing the question, Woodham is suggesting that the derisory sentence
handed down to Bruce Emery was somehow too tough. Bear in mind that
she's sternly lecturing the mother of a murdered teenage boy about the
inappropriateness of showing her grief....

http://tinyurl.com/lpckde

GOOD GRIEF
4:00AM Sunday Feb 15, 2009
By Kerre Woodham

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Your Views: Is Bruce Emery's sentence fair?
*********************************************************

I've written before about Pihema Cameron and Bruce Emery, and I won't
cover the issues again. But I would like to ask Pihema's mum, Leanne,
to take the passion and pain she's feeling right now and use it for
good.

She says that she feels like she's failed Pihema because she was in
Perth, working to advance the family financially, and she wasn't there
to protect him.

Now she feels like she's failing her three other children because
she's so depressed and angry.

That anger is being felt - and articulated - by the rest of the
extended family, with one man reported as saying he'd like to rip
Emery's eyeballs out.

It will be up to the adults in that family to be strong and to support
Leanne so that her feelings of despair are a temporary response to the
pain she's feeling.

And the adults must not allow the young ones to use Pihema's death as
an excuse for failure and violence.

How is that honouring Pihema's life? Surely the most fitting tribute
to her son would be for Leanne to raise three successful, well-
adjusted kids whose memories of their brother will be loving, not
tainted with hate and bitterness for his killer.

Leanne feels she's let down her eldest son - and no doubt every
grieving parent feels the same way.

But unless she can manage to move on from her rage, she'll undoubtedly
let down her three remaining children.

* www.kerrewoodham.com

BrentC: It was a bull shit charge and sentance