Grieving families take steps to calm tensions
GRIEVING members of two families shattered by two tragic deaths have taken great strides towards healing and calming community tensions with police and welfare agencies.
Relatives of Debbie Combarngo and Michael Hall answered calls for an emergency meeting with various community leaders on Wednesday to calm tensions in the Toowoomba and wider Darling Downs community.
They joined with the existing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnership Group which has strong links and relationships with police, as well as organisations such as Lifeline, Goolburri and Carbal.
City Patrol Group Inspector Stephen Angus said more than 30 people, including members of both Ms Combarngo and Mr Hall’s families, met at the midday meeting, addressing issues and tensions which have flared in recent days and weeks.
The tragic incidents, he said, were compounded by the involvement of nine alleged offenders, their extended families, and speculation as to the possible motive behind Ms Combarngo’s death.
“It’s a massive impact on the community, no doubt about that,” Inspector Angus said.
“Certainly both sides of the family are affected, plus you have these nine (people) whose matters are currently before the courts, and that is also a significant impact as well.
“We want to have an ongoing involvement clearly to reduce those tensions and try and get people back into a better place and in the healing process.”
Concerns had turned to potential retribution or escalating tensions, with police also increasing patrols in areas around Toowoomba to maintain the strained peace between the extended families.
Inspector Angus said the Wednesday meeting was positive and important towards all members of the community to begin the healing process.
“Deal with the grieving process both sides of the family are going through at the moment and how best we support those family groups, then initiate the healing process, and then how that healing process is ongoing both now and into the future until such time as that huge amount of grief existing within our community is addressed,” he said.