Dr Jane Bear I WENT through university with Dave ’ s

younger sister , and we moved into her and

Dave ’ s parents ’ home as students .

Dave was living outside the family home ,

but he was suddenly coming home every

weekend . He was incredibly handsome ! He

was also cheeky and witty .

At the time , he was working at Westmead

Hospital in Sydney as a nuclear medicine

technician . He then returned to university

for medicine the following year .

We fell in love and eventually moved to

Newcastle when he graduated so that he

could pursue an ICU training program .

But when our first son arrived , he abandoned that dream — something he had pursued for the past 10 years . He did not want to juggle secondments or sacrifice time with

Dr Jane Bear with her husband , Dr Dave Hogbin , on a trip for his 40th birthday , Cradle Mountain ,

Tasmania , November 2023 .

his family .

So he chose general practice for the lifestyle and ability to subspecialise in multiple different areas ( he loved procedures and cardiology , weirdo ).

We sat our exams together in 2020 and completed RACGP fellowship .

I had worked at Jewells Medical Centre , on the outskirts of Newcastle , since 2020 , and Dave joined us in 2022 and we ended up sharing one full-time role .

Handover and follow-up through the week were seamless .

We both had our strengths and worked as a team to provide all-round care .

And it was common for one of us to join a

He had this beautiful knack of connecting with patients .

consultation on speakerphone and provide a second opinion .

Dave ’ s particular interest was in skin cancer medicine and chronic health conditions , but he had this beautiful knack of connecting with patients that meant he invariably attracted a fair bit of mental health too .

I know there are a lot of patients in our community who felt very close to him , and

described itself as a family , and this tragedy has only amplified this feeling .

Back in August , we took a month off work to travel up to Far North Queensland on a trip with my extended family .

There is a famous 4WD track up there called The Old Tele that Dave had done previously but wanted to do again with the boys and me .

He was an accomplished 4WD-er and camper . He was also a big planner and meticulously researched every aspect of our trips , and I happily went along for the ride ; his passion for adventure was so infectious .

The Old Tele was something that Dave had looked forward to for such a long time , and it brings me peace to know that his final two weeks were probably the best of his life .

We had had the most wonderful time together as a family exploring the region , and we were slowly on our way back home when the attack occurred .

On the day , we went to visit a spot on the Annan River , where it was well known that you could often see a large crocodile on the opposite bank .

With small children , we chose this spot with a five-metre-high riverbank from which to view safely .

No-one saw Dave fall in .

he fell in the one spot where there was not a secondary lower bank that would have otherwise prevented him from hitting the water .

I was only 20 metres away and so was able to scramble down to the bank and attempt to pull him out .

But it was still at least a metre above the waterline with extremely slippery mud .

Despite Dave being very physically fit , he just couldn ’ t get out , and I almost fell in trying to pull him up .

Dave recognised this risk and told me to stop helping and then let me go .

I can ’ t believe I will never hold his hand again .

Telling our boys that he was gone will haunt me forever .

The Cooktown Police , Queensland National Parks and the State Emergency Service worked tirelessly to bring Dave home to us , for which I am so thankful .

Having his wedding band brings me great solace and is a beautiful physical memento for our boys . How are we now ? Heartbroken but surviving . Managing my own trauma and grief as well as emotionally regulating three bewildered children has been a challenge to say the least .

things right , focusing on sleep , routine , exercise and nutrition .

We have a wonderful team of psychologists and GPs who have guided me safely from crisis mode to surviving , and eventually we will be thriving .

My ‘ village ’ has been incredible : family , friends , neighbours , colleagues , the school , parents , strangers .

I have felt support from every avenue and feel very privileged to be part of such an incredible community .

The boys have been unbelievably resilient and insightful .

Navigating the grief experience at three very different developmental stages has been tricky at times , but they remain very respectful and protective of each other , which is so beautiful to see .

Their ability to find joy in every day will be what carries me through this nightmare .

Thanks to the generosity shown through the GoFundMe campaign , I have been given the ultimate gift of time .

I have decided not to return to work until next year and just continue to focus on the boys ( and my own ) wellbeing .

But I will absolutely return to general practice : I think it has become an important piece of my identity . It is not something I am prepared to lose .

I am so sad that they have lost him too . Jewells Medical Centre always

We are unsure what happened . The Swiss cheese model proved true :

The boys provide me with purpose , and I am just trying to get the basic

GoFundMe campaign : bit . ly / 47Hksgx