An emotlonalAs commander of the l l lawarra PoliceRescue Unit, Sgt Manii Verzosa wasused to playing the role of saviour. Soafter his partner and son died inchildbirth, where could he turn?WILLIAM VERITY discovers that l i fe'sdarkest moments can produce thestrongest bonds.

Karen Thorn (above and below) ManiiVerzosa's oartnel who died in childbirth.

ITWAS NOT UNTILAFTTR BOTHmother and baby had died that thediarywas discovered.

Hidden in the baby's room tvas thesecret diary that Kilen had kepttfuoughout the nine months of herpregnancy with Keoki, the boy his fatherhad ca.lled "Linle Cashew".

On the first page rvas a message fiommother to unbom child:

"To my "Little Qshew" - asyoltrdafuly namedyou after thefintultr^owd at eiglrt utek.

"You uere so cute, ard as big6 acasltetLt ttttt.

"lIn keepittgthis jounnlfortou soltott cart read it ttltettyou are okletrcugh. It is sometling I uottld haueloued nty ,rnrn to dofor nrc, so I lnpe),ou like it.

"l louetlyou front the rnontent I knewyou uere groruing itsid.e nte and I willcortrirute to loreyou wttil I die atdbq'ottd - Mtntnryxt"

Boxing Day, 2006. The day thareverything chmged for the father -MmiiVezosa, commder of theIllawam Police Rescue Squad.

r l tIt was early moming on Chrismnas Dayand Vezosa md his parmer, KarenThom, had already swum in the oceanoffBelrnore Brin.

It i6 a biB day for both of them.lfuren was heavily pregnant mdoverdue to give birth to their miRcleson, Keoki-

Only a few hours now before she wasdue at the matemityward ofWollongongHospital to be induced.

But fint, the cluple had a date at theW6ley Uniting Chuch, seruingChristrnas lunch for the nedy.

The wayVezosa chose ro spend tharfina.l davwith Xuen savs much aboutuemm.

As commmder of the lllalvam PoliceRescue Squad since rhe etrly 1990s, ("1prefer savingpeople to mesting them")Vezosa is an intenselyphysical man, amil with strong values, both generousand passionate. A man with a big heart.

Of Hawaiim backgromd mdspeaking with a gentle Americanaccent, Ns arms and legs are heavilymarked rvith the nibal ranoos ofhisIslander herilage.

He had met Kilen - then knorm roIiren Carvley - ar )mberoo PublicSchool a couple ofyeus eulier, u'henhe had anived to shorv the police rescuetruck to herkinderganen cl6s.

For him, it rvm love ar fimr sight."She r\as complete for me in every

way," Verzosa said."She rvas kind, she rvas atnacdve md

she loved kids."She rvas so focused on ha\.ing a chi.ld

herself, because she had hadcomplications before md thought shewould not be able to.

"As fil 6 I m concemed, she wro ascomplete a rvoman c my man couldwet.

"She nas my inspiration and the loveof my life- I have nothing but fun, fun,fun ud sacred memories of her.

"To teu the mr&, I m1 at a loss nowbmause myone who coms along nou,wont compile."

Be€use, 12 hous afterbooking in tothe matemity unit, both she and Keohwere dead.

Veuos, now 52, hro to pause severaltimes as he talks about that time,fighting back the emotion that

threatens to overcome him,He's been on sickleave fiom his iob

for a yea now diagnosed rr.ith positlaurnadc suess in Nlay a.fter removingm old mm rvho had killed himself ir aCorimalffavmpnk

One shot to the head."We bagged ild tagged him, I

thought,'thats it. No more. The bucketsfrrll'," Verzosa sid.

"It n'as gruesome, but I've done more.All his belongings were h his cuavm.

"I was no longer Supemat, I hadcome to the limits of horv much I couldtake."

FIis future is mcertain.Vezosa is dressed casuall)' - polo

shirt, shons and thongs - as he tells hisstorv in the cavernous hall oftheSalvation Amy headquaners.

He sits in dre front row ofthe enron,chairs of the congregadon, facirg rhe-stage, the giant wooden cross, theSalvation Army flags, the covered grandpimo and discuded instruments in lhefomer nightclub that is now dedicatedto the glory ofcod.

Sifting next to him is a diminutive,rvhiteJraired woman, dressed in thedistinctive if dowdy Salvos unifom -dak blue jacket and loee-length skinwith the lener'S' on each lapel.

Jayne Wilson, 65, is a fomersteakhousewaitress md mmager of theBeach House Seafood Rstaurant, whoat the age of32, decided to take up fteministy md study for a theologydegree at the Chuch ofChrisl

"l have seven children, 19gmdchildren md one greathusbild,"sne sa)s.

Since 1996, she htr set upcomunity programs for the Sa.lvos,spmialising in fm.ilies grzppling withmental illness md addiction, mdbecame the police chaplain for the Ijl(eIllamcommd in2005.

When she rrceived the call tominister to Verusa on that Boxing Daymoming, she had methim once -briefly - at a home in Stanwell Topswhere she was cornforting a familywbose son had gone missing afterwriting a suicide note

Verzosa was searching for the son.'*L

66_Shewasmyinspiration and theloveofmylife.

6 WEEKENDER Saturday, May 29, 201O Websito: M.il lawarramercury.com.au

rescueStrangcll l she had also met Karen

once. in the changing rooms atCorrimal su'imnring pool, aftcr bothrvonren had enjoved an earl) morningsrvinr- She remembcred that Karen waspre€ir]ant.

''\\4ren I received a call lrom thehospital and thel'told me Ns name, Ifelt a really deep sadness," !\'ilson said.

'i\ really deep sadness."It }vas a call that begm m intense and

deep friendship between the nvo, as\Vilson $€nt to Vezosas Figtree housealmost every day for a month in thatmagical, intense, and indescribably sadtime between a death and a funeral.

\Mlson was handed Krens diary, andfotmd herself in commmion with bothfather ard mother, thottgh in hvo verydifferent ways.

"l read through the whole story mdused that for part oftlre funeral," \{4lsonsaid.

"It was m extraordinary time,because for me it \r'as as though I hadlived her entire pregnanc]:"

It lvas \lilson who rvas the firet toview Ktren and Keoki's bodies at theundertaker, who put her finger in thebabrrs fist and felt his nngers curlaround hers.

It iv6 wilson rvho encouragedVezosa to do the sme.

It was \Vilson who officiated at thefuneral in Berkeleyrvhere more thm1000 people shorved to paytheirrespects, includinga large contingent ofpolice rvho formed a gutrd ofhonourtrvo deep.

And then the friendship continued.Vezosa would paddle his canoe or

srvim offWollongong Harbour and thendrop by the Salvos in Burelli St rvhere he

The Red Shield Appeal takes place this weekend. Donationscan be made via the Salvation Army website, by call ing 13SALVOS 03 72 58), or to volunteer as door-to-door collectorson Sundav mornino.

NSW Police Rescue officer Manii Verzosa in action and (right) with SalvationArmy officer Jayne Mlson, who helped him through the loss of his partner andchild during birth.Pictu6XEN ROBERTSoN and KIRKGTLMoUR

rr,ould have coffee ard conr,ersationl'itlr \Mlson.

Soon enough, the pair decided torviclen the conversation to include anypolice officer *'ho needed suppon andcalled tlremselves Ohana [nc. (Ohanameills "family" in Harvaiian).

So norv, thev go paddling on theoceu one Thunda),. the next they trainat Crockers Bodng Gym in Dapto.Ahvays follorved b,v coffee ildconversation.

Wilson is a passionate supporterof police md their rvork md -

unusually for a police chaplain -

insists on joining patols for a ffulli2-hour shift.

" lf you could go out there ildsee some of the things that policedo on a night shift, it rocksyousocks." she says.

"They ue God's people on earth,keeping chaos fiom reigning onour sree6. I think we shouldencoumge police md be invoh,edwith them.

"Ohana is about encoumgingcommunity to be in comunitywith police-"

lVhen asked rvhere hewouldbe without Jalne, lvlmii isunchamcteristicallv lost forwords- It's something that hecmnot imagine.

"l couldn't even imaginehow things wonld have beendifferent rvithout Ja1ne," hesays.

"I am iust lucky that Ja]nepopped into my path. I m sohonoured md lucky, as aehmdreds of other people whocome across her-"

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Websalo: M.il lawarramercury.com.au WEEKENDER Saturday, May 29, 2O7O 7