Church draws on mushroom lunch survivor Ian Wilkinson’s strength

A country church congregation at the heart of the mushroom murders case has drawn on the strength of its pastor to express its pain at the loss of three parishioners.

The Korumburra Baptist Church, where Ian Wilkinson is its pastor. Picture: NewsWire / Diego Fedele

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A country church congregation at the heart of the mushroom murders case has drawn on the strength of pastor Ian Wilkinson to express its pain at the loss of three parishioners.

The Korumburra Baptist Church leadership group posted a message referring to Mr Wilkinson’s return to the pulpit in 2024 after almost dying when Erin Patterson attempted to kill him with a toxic beef Wellington.

Months after the lunch, Mr Wilkinson conducted his first service and told the parishioners: “The ways are sometimes hard, but God is good. He’s with us.”

Eighteen months later, the church posted a message to the community, lamenting the loss of Don and Gail Patterson, 70, and Ian’s wife, Heather Wilkinson, 66, in the wake of Erin Patterson’s conviction for three murders and one attempted murder.

“As our Pastor Ian has said, ‘Life can be hard, but God is faithful, and He is always with us’,’’ the message on the noticeboard at 39 Mine Road, Korumburra, reads.

Mr Wilkinson survived after spending seven weeks in hospital, including three weeks in intensive care.

The note posted outside the church. Picture: NewsWire / Diego Fedele

The killer prayed at the church, helped at services and claimed to have seen the light after communion was served soon after she met her husband, Simon Patterson.

“We all greatly miss Heather, Don and Gail, whether we were friends for a short time or over 20 years. They were very special people who loved God and lived to bless others,” the notice reads.

“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.

“We appreciate all the care from our local communities, special support from individuals and from the Baptist Union of Victoria, and the churches and people from all over the world who have been praying for us.

“The Wilkinson and Patterson families have asked that people ­respect their privacy at this time. Please also respect the privacy of our church family.”

From the early hours on Tuesday, media gathered outside the homes of Simon Patterson and Ian Wilkinson. Both men remained in their homes, with notices requesting privacy pinned to fences at both properties.

Most locals in Korumburra were reluctant to speak about the verdict when approached for comment. Some however, said they were pleased with the outcome, with the July 29, 2023, lunch bringing unwanted attention to the town.

It came after Patterson spent her first night as a newly convicted murderer. Patterson will have the right to appeal, but is facing a ­potentially record sentence for the three killings.

At 50 years old, she will be lucky to ever be released from the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre in ­Melbourne.

Ian Wilkinson. Picture: Getty Images

Patterson feigned limited knowledge about death cap mushrooms in South Gippsland, but The Australian has learned that in the days before she was accused of looking for some, dozens of people in Korumburra were warned of the dangers of picking the wrong fungi at the site where the murderer said she foraged during Covid-19.

It was widely known to people with an interest in gardening and mushrooms that South Gippsland was sometimes home to death caps, or – at the very least – had the conditions that were perfect for the killer fungi.

Korumburra on Tuesday went back to what Korumburra has been for the best part of two years. Quiet and respectful of the families’ grief. People contacted by The Australian generally expressed comfort with the verdicts.

Patterson had owned houses in town, helped produce the local community news magazine and raised children before moving to nearby Leongatha in 2022.

The name Erin Patterson, if the locals have their way, will quickly become forgotten, remembered only in Trivial Pursuit and on true-crime websites.