Jeanette Woods - A Voice for Veronica: The story of Veronica Knight, the first victim in the Truro murders in South Australia

Speak out on behalf of the voiceless, and for the rights of all who are vulnerable.

Proverbs 31:8

We are called to speak for the weak, for the voiceless.

Martin Luther King Jr.

If you want to tell untold stories, if you want to give voice to the voiceless, youve got to find a language.

Salman Rushdie

The darker the night, the brighter the stars, the deeper the grief, the closer is God!

Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Many people have contributed to the writing of this story. A number of them, in fact, became part of the story as it unfolded and have generously permitted me to include them in the evolving narrative. Thank you especially to Brian and Ruth for their memories of the happy times we shared with Veronica and the important role they played in her life. I am grateful to Ken Thorsen for his assistance with many aspects of the case from a police perspective. I am indebted to Charles Cornwall for his generous encouragement and expert information on the parole system. Nicola not only helped me find the most important person in this story, but her warmth and professional care blessed us on the way to Truro. She also led me to Harry, the mounted police officer, who willingly shared his personal story with me. Thank you to Viktor Bohdan for allowing me to use his wonderful courtroom sketches that were featured in the newspaper at the time. My heartfelt thanks go to Dorothy, who was willing to revisit a painful past to help me to explore and come to terms with it.

Then there are my first readers, Carolyn, Naomi, Ruth and Peter, as well as the good friends who have believed in this project Lorraine, Amanda, Rosemary and many others.

My family has been part of my journey, humouring my unexpected exploration of a confronting event. Most of all, I am so grateful to my ever-supportive husband, Peter, who also became part of the story himself and joined me in researching this project. His special contribution as the visual artist in the family is the wonderful portrait of Veronica on the cover.

Although I take responsibility for this book, it truly was a team effort.

I also wish to acknowledge all those who played a part in Veronicas life and cared for her in various ways. We may not have met, but this book is for you as well.