Jarrad Antonovich inquest at Lismore hears of shamans, frog toxin and plant-based psychedelic

An inquest into the death of a Lismore man who died after frog toxin was applied to his body has heard of shamans charging thousands of dollars for psychedelic retreats in Northern NSW.

Clockwise from top left: Cameron Kite, Lore Solaris, Laara Cooper and Uncle Andrew Johnston.

Two ‘shamans’ were at a ceremony on the night a Lismore man died after being treated with Amazonian frog toxin, a coronial inquest heard today.

Jarrad Antonovich, 46, died on October 16 2021 after violent vomiting likely caused a tear to his oesophagus at a psychedelic drug retreat north of Kyogle.

Day one saw Mr Antonovich’s father accuse ceremony organisers of being vague on the details surrounding his son’s death, while day two revealed Mr Antonovich had suffered for about 12 hours before an ambulance was called.

Today’s hearing heard claims that ceremony organiser Lore Solaris told Mr Antonovich’s former lover Patrick Santucci that his death was a “beautiful passing” – and “the koalas were making a special noise to the elders”.

The inquest heard Lore Solaris was the organiser of the retreat where Lismore man Jarrad Antonovich died.

When Mr Santucci heard Mr Antonovich had died, he called Mr Solaris to find out what happened, the inquest heard.

He said Mr Solaris told him Mr Antonovich “was in a lot of pain” all over his body.

“Jarrad didn’t want to go to hospital and wanted to participate in the ceremony,” the inquest heard.

According to Mr Santucci, Mr Solaris told him Aboriginal Elder Andrew Johnston was “chanting (Jarrad’s) soul out of his body” in the hours leading up to his death.

Uncle Andrew Johnston "chanted" Jarrad Antonovich's "spirit away" as he lay suffering and declining in health after a kambo ceremony, the inquest heard.

This revelation saw Mr Antonovich’s mother Lorraine break down in tears as the inquest was paused.

The inquest heard two ‘shamans’ - Mr Solaris and Laara Cooper - had an “inner circle” who would make the ayahuasca (a plant-based psychedelic) associated with Mr Antonovich’s death in “concrete buckets” at a rural Northern Rivers property.

A shaman is said to be an intermediary between the physical and spiritual world.

Witness Bella Gardner told the court Mr Solaris and Ms Cooper’s followers “look up to them and praise them”.

The inquest heard Mr Solaris and Ms Cooper would charge participants thousands of dollars for psychedelic retreats where they would vomit violently from the homemade ayahuasca and the kambo (secretions from the back of the Amazonian kambo frog).

“Holistic life coach” and former kambo practitioner Laara Cooper had previously administered kambo to Mr Antonovich at ceremonies in 2021 before his death, the inquest heard.

Ms Gardner spent about $5000 between June and October 2021 for ayahuasca and kambo ceremonies run by Ms Cooper, the inquest heard.

Ms Gardner said she had a particularly bad time after an ayahuasca ceremony held by Ms Cooper prior to Mr Antonovich’s death.

“It was really traumatising, but because I was regularly one of (Ms Cooper’s) clients, you’re trained to trust the medicine, trust the process, trust them,” she said.

Ms Cooper told participants her “medicine was safe because she was pure and Lore was pure”, and not to trust other ‘shamans’ in the area, Ms Gardner told the inquest.

“We put our lives in their hands,” she said.

Ceremonies in Ms Cooper’s “teepee” cost $450 per night, about $750 for two days, and $1850 for a five day retreat.

The inquest at Lismore heard Jarrad Antonovich died as a result of a perforation or tear to his oesophagus, likely caused by vomiting.

Mr Solaris’s ceremony where Mr Antonovich died cost $1200 for ayahuasca – with an additional fee for kambo frog poison, the inquest heard.

She told the inquest she saw Mr Antonovich’s neck swollen out to his jawline at about 11am on the day of his death, shortly after he was given the frog poison, and became concerned for his welfare.

“I thought then this is definitely dangerous,” she said.

“I didn’t know if his head was going to explode … it’s nothing like when my face was swollen from kambo.”

Ms Gardner said she didn’t act because the “leaders” of the retreat had banned participants from “interfering with each other’s journeys”.

The inquest heard Mr Antonovich was allegedly given kambo by Cameron Kite on the morning of his death.

The inquest was told Cameron Kite administered the kambo at the morning ceremony.

As Mr Antonovich lay dying in the entrance of the ceremonial hall, the inquest heard Mr Solaris sat playing his guitar.

In the breaks between songs, Ms Gardner said she heard CPR being performed on Mr Antonovich.

Coincidentally, this is the second coronial inquest related to kambo ceremonies in the Northern Rivers in the space of days.

Last week, an inquest looked into the case of Mullumbimby woman Natasha Lechner, 39, who died frothing at the mouth after the same frog toxin was applied to her body in 2019.