Devastating texts from assistant principal before teen student dies on school trip

Distressing text messages sent when assistant principal Geoff Vezey saw one of his teen students covered in vomit have been revealed.

Desperate texts from the teacher who found late teen Timothy Fehring covered in vomit shortly before he died on an overseas school trip three years ago have been revealed.

Melbourne Year 9 student Timothy, 15, was on a European trip with 16 classmates in June 2019 which was staffed by two adults — the business manager and assistant principal, Geoff Vezey.

Timothy was unwell for six days after arriving in Europe and on June 28, after being given clearance to fly home to Melbourne on his own, he passed away from a combination of a lung infection, aspirated stomach contents in the small airways, and swelling in the stomach lining.

Mr Vezey had taken him to the doctor that day, and remained inside the office to pay the bill when Timothy went to wait outside because he thought it was too “stuffy” in the building.

The next time Mr Vezey saw him was on the ground unconscious with a bloody nose and covered in his own vomit.

Geoffrey 'Geoff' Vezey, assistant principal of Blackburn High, died from a heart attack on April 19, 2021. Picture: Supplied

Text messages revealed in a coroner’s report published this week detailed Mr Vezey’s frantic response and desperate attempt to get Timothy help.

At 11.10am, he messaged the other supervising adult requesting she, “Please call me”.

“I can’t get through to you,” she responded at 11.15am.

Mr Vezey replied: “Are you outside the entrance? Tim is extremely unwell … I am on

the first floor outside the doctors. I cannot wake him”.

One minute later, his colleague responded saying, “Do you want an ambulance?”.

“Yes,” he shot back at 11.18am.

Immediately after, he received the response: “Geoff do you?”

Timothy pictured with his sister Emma before flying out. Picture: Supplied

At 11.19am, he replied saying: “I need medical people. He has vomited all over himself. Blood is coming out of his nose and I cannot wake him. He is in a trance”.

At 11.25am, he wrote another message, saying: “The doctor is helping me now.”

His colleague replied two minutes later with: “Ambulance is coming.”

Timothy was unable to be saved after died after being airlifted to hospital.

The traumatic situation was thought to have been linked to the fatal cardiac arrest Mr Vezey suffered two years later aged 52.

Timothy’s symptom’s were mistaken for homesickness. Picture: Jason Edwards

Mr Vezey’s family said he suffered an “acute psychiatric injury” from what he saw in Germany.

They are suing the education department for what they say was post traumatic stress disorder, adjustment disorder with anxiety and depression.

The Herald Sun reported the Vezey family sought compensation from State of Victoria but were unsuccessful.

Timothy’s symptoms were wrongly thought to have been caused by homesickness, with his family arguing teachers should have believed him when he told them he was seriously unwell.