EDITORIAL: Family’s brave message on illicit drugs deserves an audience after tragic death of Bill Sounness

Bill Sounness once hit a double century in both innings of a grand final, hoisting his Narrikup teammates onto his shoulders and carrying them to premiership glory. If that doesn’t get you free pints for life at the local, the publican isn’t into cricket. But Mr Sounness was more than a record-breaking batsman. He was a well-respected farmer and principal of Merryup Santa Gertrudis Stud. He was the son of Cecilia Sounness, who at age 98 has just been awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for a lifetime of service to the Mt Barker community. Family’s important message after Mt Barker man killed by drug-driver Three community stalwarts recognised in Queen’s Birthday Honours List He was a father of three, and a brother-in-law to Pam Sounness, who last week bravely spoke out about his death. Mr Sounness, after all he had achieved in life, was fatally injured in a head-on crash near his hometown of Mt Barker last year. This month, the 36-year-old woman who was high on meth as she veered across Albany Highway into oncoming traffic was jailed for seven years. She is expected to be deported to the UK upon her release. Pam said it had been a traumatic time for the family, with just 10 people allowed at the funeral because of COVID-19 restrictions. But she hoped her brother-in-law’s death could serve as a cautionary tale about illicit drugs. If the message had an impact on only one or two people, that would be something positive to come from a tragedy, she said. For some people, anti-drug campaigns and the threat of penalties seem to have little to no effect on their attitude to meth. How about a real-life story of grief, prison and lives turned upside down? It’s a story playing out across WA far too often.