Locals of a small rural town at the center of an alleged mushroom poisoning lunch that left three people dead have expressed their anger over a nasty rumor.
The 5,000-strong town of Korumburra in South Gippsland, Victoria, was thrust into the spotlight after three people died in July 2023 after eating a beef wellington allegedly laced with death cap mushrooms.
Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson, 66, all died within days of eating the meal allegedly prepared by Patterson’s former daughter-in-law, Erin Patterson, at her Leongatha home.
Heather’s husband, Baptist church pastor Ian Wilkinson, 68, narrowly avoided the same fate, while Patterson’s husband Simon withdrew from the lunch.
Patterson was charged in November with three counts of murder and five counts of attempted murder — four of which stemmed from previous incidents with her husband.
The case caused a media frenzy, with many residents claiming that the rumor mill was “running at full speed” and portraying them as “cult-like” religious fanatics.
Residents of the small town at the center of an alleged poison mushroom lunch, Korumburra (pictured), have pushed back against damaging rumor mills surrounding the case
A number of Korumburra residents attended a private memorial service for Don, Gail and Heather at the Baptist Church, where Mr Wilkinson was a minister, shortly after the death.
The Catholic beliefs of both couples, along with images of residents mourning them, were spread around the world, sparking rumors that the city was deeply religious.
Former South Gippsland Shire mayor Nathan Hersey said the narrative around the town focused on its residents being an “overly religious, cult-like people”.
“But it’s just a regular country town full of great people in a very picturesque and beautiful place,” Mr Hersey told The Mushroom Cook podcast.
The former mayor responded to a “tidal wave” of media requests to the council from Australian and international news media, including The New York Times and the BBC.
He said he was in front of the media as many as three times a day when the story was most widely read.
A local resident, who asked to remain anonymous, said the public was “quick to judge” the town and its residents after the incident.
“So many assumptions were made about our rural people shortly after the death,” he told the newspaper Herald Sun.
“I think there was a perception that we picked our food from the ground and were really religious, but that’s just not the case.”
The resident said the religious beliefs of some were not reflective of the wider community, adding that “we are just normal people living normal lives.”
Erin Patterson (pictured) has been charged with three counts of murder and five counts of attempted murder over the incident that sparked an international media circus
Residents said the investigation and media attention led to rumors that the city was full of ‘cult-like’ religious fanatics (photo, police on scene)
Patterson is currently awaiting trial for the alleged incident and has been remanded in custody at the Dame Phyllis Frost Center in Victoria, a maximum security prison that can hold 600 women.
Victoria Police spent 20 weeks preparing evidence against Patterson.
Much of the investigation focused on Patterson’s home and used a specialist canine unit to detect electronic devices.
The prosecution will rely on photographs and police witness statements as evidence of Patterson’s alleged crimes.
The accused mushroom chef will next appear before the Latrobe Valley Magistrates’ Court via video link for a hearing on May 3.
Pastor Ian Wilkinson was the only survivor of the luncheon, which claimed the life of his wife Heather Wilkinson, 66. He spent almost two months in hospital (the couple are pictured together)
Gail Patterson and brother-in-law Don Patterson, both 70, were killed after lunch