‘Absolute squalor’: Dying man, young sons tough it out in the bush

A dying homeless man, his sons and their dog live a grim existence in bushland near Deloraine – but salvation appears to be on the horizon.

A dying man, his sons and their dog live a grim existence in bushland near Deloraine, but salvation appears to be on the horizon.

Edward, Shamus (12) and Jasper (14) Whiteside sleep in an old caravan and tents on a bush block in Weetah – A tiny locality in Tasmania’s Meander Valley.

Their otherwise unseen desperate living situation would have remained just that if it wasn’t for a snake catcher who was called to remove a snake from their make-do home on March 20.

What he witnessed when he arrived was a site with no power or water and to make it worse – their caravan had become overrun by snakes and rats which forced the trio into tents.

Edward – described as being “skin and bone” – has been all but completely immobilised by his late-stage lung cancer meaning his sons have been unable to attend school as he continues to decline.

Shamus and Jasper spend their days doing their best to gather supplies and water from the run-off of an old nearby shed to bathe in.

Tamika Bannister, the daughter of Bert Bannister the snake catcher who was called to the family’s site, described their situation as the “most horrendous conditions you could imagine” after visiting the Whitesides in the days following her dad’s discovery.

She has since started an online fundraiser for them.

Tamika said she was overwhelmed by the community’s generosity as the total donations cracked the fundraiser’s $30,000 target on Tuesday morning.

She said despite Edwards health issues, the fact remains; two Tasmanian kids are living in “absolute squalor”.

The Whiteside’s situation has caught the attention of Housing Minister Michael Ferguson, who personally reached out to the family.

Housing Minister Michael Ferguson. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

“I found this story very disturbing and immediately sought further information so we can help the family,” he said.

“(Monday) afternoon I also reached out to Edward personally.

“We had a great chat and agreed to follow up after he has had the opportunity to meet with our Housing Connect support team.

“I understand that Housing Tasmania was not aware of this family or their circumstances, and believe that the family had not as of yet requested assistance.

“Edward was contacted earlier today to obtain more information that will allow us to see how we can support the family, what accommodation can be provided to them and to link in with any other community services.

Tamika assured the donations would go towards bettering the children’s lives and if they were not allocated housing soon, the funds would also be used to house the family at a local caravan park where their basic needs could be met.

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