‘You don’t think something big like this happens in a little town’: How sleepy Korumburra changed overnight

Korumburra locals are breathing a sigh of relief after Erin Patterson was found guilty but while the case has put “the town on the map”, they hope it will be known for more than its grisly link to a triple mushroom murder.

“Thank God.”

A day on from Erin Patterson’s guilty verdicts, the sleepy town of Korumburra has breathed a collective sigh of relief – for more reasons than one.

After waiting a week for the jury to make their decision, following a trial that lasted more than two months, locals are happy that justice has finally been served.

For many, the evidence heard throughout the trial had become too overwhelming, with only a handful expecting Patterson to walk free.

For the victims, and those close to them, Monday’s verdicts marked the closure of a very painful chapter in their lives.

Signage at the entrance of Korumburra – a country town that was changed overnight. Picture: Diego Fedele

The Korumburra Baptist Church, where surviving victim Ian Wilkinson serves as Pastor, posted a brief statement on their noticeboard thanking the wider Baptist community for their support over the “long journey”.

“We greatly miss Heather, Don and Gail, whether we were friends for a short time or over 20 years,” it read.

“They were very special people who loved God and loved to bless others.

“It’s been a long journey and we continue to lovingly support Ian, Simon and all the Wilkinson and Patterson family members through this difficult time.”

The small, weatherboard church sits neatly among a neighbourhood of single-storey homes, where everyone knows someone connected with the now infamous ‘mushroom murders’.

Fresh floral tributes had been left at Don and Gail Patterson’s graves, as a handful of people braved the wind and rain to stop by Korumburra Cemetery yesterday.

For Peter Brown, who lives around the corner from the church and knows both the Wilkinson and Patterson families, the moment he learnt of Patterson’s fate was something he’ll remember for the rest of his life.

Korumburra locals are relieved Erin Patterson has been found guilty. Picture: AFP

“The only other moment I can remember that was like this was when Princess Diana died,” he added.

“You don’t think something big like this happens in a little town.”

Having suspected Patterson was guilty all along, Mr Brown said it was nice that the trial was “done and dusted”, for the time being, adding that many others in town were in the same boat.

Dale Osmand, a Korumburra resident for the past 60 years, said he had always feared Don, Gail, Heather and Ian had fallen victim to Patterson’s nasty plot.

Mr Osmand, whose sons had grown up playing basketball with Simon Patterson, said he had felt for the triple murderer’s estranged husband throughout the entirety of the ordeal.

“He was a very quiet kid, and the Pattersons are a very nice family,” Mr Osmand said.

Despite the harsh spotlight of the world’s media baring down on Korumburra in the wake of the mushroom deaths, he wanted his town to be remembered for more than Patterson’s grisly murder plot.

“It’s a bad way to promote the town and the area, but it still puts the town on the map,” he said.

Another Korumburra local, who wished to remain anonymous, said the impact of the case on the town hadn’t necessarily been overly positive or negative, but feared the lasting memory of their town would not be able to escape the case.

“Some people are worried we are always going to be labelled the ‘murder-mushroom town,” they said.

The graves of Don and Gail Patterson at the Korumburra cemetery. Picture: Diego Fedele

They added, for any small town like Korumburra, all you ever want is to be “discovered”.

“It sure has given us a lot of attention,” they added.

In Leongatha, Patterson’s Gibson St had become a tourist hotspot of sorts, as “invasive” gawkers stopped to snap selfies at the site of the lethal lunch

There was no sign of Simon Patterson on Tuesday, just a white ute in the driveway and a sign on the fence reading “No entry without appointment”.

Picture: Diego Fedele

The church of pastor Ian Wilkinson. Picture: Diego Fedele

The sole survivor, Ian Wilkinson, was also nowhere to be seen, with a sign warning “trespassers will be reported to police”.

In Melbourne, a mural of the mushroom cook by artist Jarrod Grech sported some extra paint – the word “guilty” now covering Patterson’s face.

But for a town that had unintentionally become the centre of one of Victoria’s – and possibly Australia’s – most intriguing mass murder cases, a noticeable calm had settled on Korumburra and its patient locals.