QUAKERS HILL NURSING HOME FIRE
JOURNALISTS SANDRA SULLY AND SIMON BOUDA REFLECT ON THE HORRIFIC INFERNO
In the early hours of November 18, 2011, night nurse Roger Dean was so desperate to cover up his theft of more than 200 prescription drugs from Sydney’s
Quakers Hill Nursing Home where he worked, he set fire to the building.
As a result, 11 elderly people were killed in the aged care facility by suffocation or were burnt to death. Most of them were so weak, they couldn’t even climb out of their own beds to escape.
As firefighters raced to rescue the incapacitated residents from the inferno, Dean, then 35, stood outside watching as choking and burnt people were evacuated.
He even appeared on
TV, attempting to portray himself as a hero, telling news crews tales about how he had helped rescue people.
Five residents perished in the fire, while a further six died later from the injuries they sustained. Numerous others battled ongoing health issues due to smoke inhalation.
Using a cigarette lighter to set alight sheets, Dean started two fires – one in an empty ward, the other in a ward where two elderly women slept. Addicted to painkillers, Dean wanted to destroy evidence after his theft of drugs had been noticed by his managers and the police had been notified.
This November 18 marks the 10-year anniversary of the Quakers Hill Nursing Home fire. Nine News reporter Simon Bouda was one of the first news teams on the scene that day and reveals there’s still one image that haunts him to this day.
“Seeing elderly people being wheeled out of the burning building and knowing just how frail they were is something I will never forget,” Simon tells New Idea. The veteran reporter was honoured with an Order of Australia citation earlier this year.
“One of the first things I remember was realising just how many people inside would have been helpless and not able to even get out of their beds and escape on their own. Thinking back about the
horror these people would have faced, time doesn’t do much to lessen that.”
A day after the catastrophic event, Dean was charged by police, and shocking details emerged including his theft of the drugs, the cover-up motive, and his later outrageous claims that he had been possessed by evil and Satan had made him light the fire.
There were other revelations about his employment history, including that he was removed from a previous nursing job due to “patient safety concerns” and being affected by drugs at work, as well as being removed from another job due to vandalism offences.
When, in 2013, Dean was sentenced to life in prison without any chance of ever being paroled, Justice Megan Latham said he had a reckless indifference to human life and conducted himself in a selfserving manner. She also stated that the horrific nature of his crime made him NSW’S worst-ever mass killer.
Network Ten newsreader Sandra Sully remembers presenting reports about the fire and being horrified by the details, especially the planning and premeditation Dean had put into the crime.
“This was a story about how vulnerable Australians are in aged care, but to then discover it was deliberately lit, I was taken aback by the horror of it,” Sandra says.
“I remember seeing those frail people being wheeled out in their nightgowns and pyjamas, not knowing what was going on and seeing how frightened they were. The consequences of a deliberate act like that are just so gut-wrenching and appalling, and I think it made everyone’s blood boil.”
Sandra also recalls being disturbed by the fact Dean was a nurse.
“Someone who was meant to care for these helpless people and have their best interests at heart
‘ALL OF US MUST BE VIGILANT IN LOOKING AFTER OUR ELDERLY’
had deliberately set out to hurt them,” she adds.
In 2016, the mass murderer lost his bid to challenge his life sentences in the High Court. The appeal was refused as two judges concluded there would be no prospects that a challenge would be successful.
Dean is serving his life sentence at Goulburn prison.
On the 10th anniversary of the Quakers Hill Nursing Home Fire, Simon believes one of the important legacies of the tragedy is the sharp focus it put on to the way the elderly are treated, and how aged care is delivered.
“As a society, we have a duty to ensure what happened that day is never forgotten because we never want to see it repeated,” he says. “I hope there continues to be more stringent checks on employees working in care facilities.”
Sandra adds, “You can never forget an event like this because it hits you at a very core, basic human level. All of us must be vigilant in looking after our elderly because, someday, that will be all of us.”