Payne Haas yet to visit jailed mother as Bronco’s dad speaks out
Broncos star Payne Haas is yet to visit his jailed mum, almost five months on from a devastating crash that killed three people.
Broncos star Payne Haas is yet to visit his jailed mother, despite her having been in custody for almost five months.
The revelations come as Haas’ father Gregor speaks out in an exclusive interview with News Corp about the difficulties and pain the family have endured since the tragic high-speed car crash in the Gold Coast hinterland that claimed the lives of three people and left Joan Taufua, the matriarch of the Haas family, as the sole survivor.
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She was charged with three counts of manslaughter, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, evading police, drink driving and unlicensed driving, and remains behind bars on remand as she awaits her fate.
Gregor Haas spoke out on the day-to-day experience he has as an effective single father, setting out on the two hour drive from the Gold Coast every Wednesday morning to visit his wife in the Southern Queensland Correctional Centre, west of Brisbane.
There are 10 children in the Haas family, including Payne as the top prop in the NRL, and younger Klese at the Titans.
Haas Sr was at a loss trying to describe the impact of seeing his wife behind bars.
“To be honest, seeing my wife in jail, what can I say mate … it’s just f***ed,” Haas said.
“I’m going through all sorts of emotions.
“You go through a period of grieving, but then you move on.
“I don’t mean move on as in not being with Joan anymore, but life has to move on.
“The kids have to go to school. I have to work. Otherwise everything falls apart.
“The first four weeks when Joan was taken into custody were so hard.
“As a family, we have gone into our little shell in life. We have nothing to do with anyone really and it’s best that way. We have our little family unit and it’s my job to ensure the kids are safe and happy.
“I’m trying to stay as busy as I can. I do what I can to keep my mind off things.”
Haas spoke about the emotional difficulties of dealing with the realities of an incarcerated loved one.
“I get to see Joan once a week,” he said.
“I drive out Gatton way, there’s a women’s facility out there.
“I get one hour once a week to see her and we are also allowed one video call.
“It’s a long drive, plenty of time to think.
“I see her every Wednesday at 9 o’clock. I can’t touch her.
“Sometimes it’s behind a glass panel – like the movies – sometimes it’s not.
“They still enforce the 1.5 metres social-distancing thing with Covid, so if I try to hug her, the guards will run in and stop us.
“I never expected any of this. Life takes you on a journey you don’t expect.
“It can really toss you around.”
Haas Sr revealed that life without his partner of 28 years has pushed him to the edge, caring for six of the couple’s nine school-aged children.
“The hardest thing about life as a single parent is realising how much a mother does,” he said.
“Joan did so much day-to-day and I’m coping the best I can. I’m still trying to figure things out every day.
“Payne’s brother Klese and his partner help out and I have my 17-year-old daughter, who has taken on the role of a mini mum.
“We have learnt that if someone can’t do something, someone else has to step up.”
Haas says that Taufua is still recovering from the injuries she sustained in the crash, calling them “horrific”.
“When I finally got to see her in hospital, her face was a mess,” he said.
“She has a metal plate in her chest. She damaged her back. Her tailbone. Both shoulders were stuffed. She is still recovering now in jail.
“I don’t know if they do rehab in jail. She is trying to rehabilitate herself.
“She still can’t put her arm up or anything like that.
“She’s not good emotionally … as you can imagine.”
“Apart from (quadriplegic son) Chace dying, that (accident) was the worst day of my life.”
News Corp understands Payne Haas is yet to visit his mother, with the Broncos forward posting a philosophical message on Instagram from Zimbabwean Islamic scholar Mufti Menk that said: “Remember that your character should always be stronger than what you’re experiencing in life.
“We can’t always control what happens to us, but we can control how we react and respond to it.”
Haas converted to Islam in 2019, fasts during Ramadan and counts prominent former league star and fellow convert Sonny Bill Williams as a mentor.
Haas Sr says that the family have tried to avoid social media amid all of the attention on them.
“People can be so critical these days. Social media is awful, they just hammer us on there,” he said.
“All the stuff you hear and read, I honestly don’t worry about it.
“With Payne in the media all the time, you figure out what’s right and wrong.
“We’re used to the attention in a way. For 20 years, people would stare at us with Chace and we’ve lived with judgment.
“It’s been very hard, but me and the kids are very tight. The tighter we stay the better. This is not what I ever expected, but the kids are going to school and I’m sorting things out.
“I guess you could say we’re all hands on deck.
“We’re coping the best that we can.”
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