Excerpts from DDB's Autobiography on Justice for Hamidur Rahman Pt2

This follows part 1. Hamidur Rahman was a boy I met in passing. I had nothing to do with his death. However, had my abusers not been so bent on abusing me, I believe Hamidur Rahman would be alive today.
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Dinner time had all the children lining up in year groups. There was a set pattern for entrance which was rotated so as to be fair. The students would collect their meals from the kitchen staff. Normally a senior member of staff would give the instructions, and on this evening this was not going to be me. I had worked on staff for the last three years, and everyone else had arrived recently, but one of the new arrivals, John B, was a special case. He was employed as five boarder tutors, so that he worked every day of the week, and every other weekend. He was more senior and he had been told by Richard that he was the person in charge of the evening. I stood in a supportive position and quietly told him what to do when he looked helpless.
The students would generally finish their dinner in about 15 minutes, and the staff would sit at the staff table and not dismiss them until half past. The students would have cleaned up their dishes and set up for the following meal, which in this case was to be breakfast. Before the dinner was well underway, but after the staff had seated themselves, this year 7 boy who looked Indian and very out of place, made his way to the staff dining table. He passed some senior tables and they made some comments and he gave back as good as he got. Approaching the teacher's table he called out, and the staff member closest to him turned around and faced him. He said his fork was dirty from breakfast or lunch with some peanut butter. My first comment was for him to enjoy it. He said "You don't understand. I have a peanut allergy and if I have so much as a microscopic amount I could get very sick or die and it would be your fault." John quickly grabbed a fork and followed the boy back to his table, checking to see if anything else might need cleaning. When John came back to the table I asked if he knew about the boys issue, or if anyone else had had similar needs. He said 'no' but maybe the Head Teachers were aware. I pointed out that I was being pushed off campus, so I volunteered to raise the issue with Richard.
I got my opportunity to raise it with Richard later. We were in the staff common room, and alone. It was just prior to my going for the evening. I told him about the incident and he asked who it was. I said I didn't know the boy, but had seen him around recently. He was the Indian boy. Richard said that it was Hamidur Rahman. I shrugged and said it didn't matter who it was, but it was a substantial issue affecting all the boarding staff. Richard asked if Peanut Allergy were that serious when the Head Teacher of Science (Greg P) walked in. Greg said Peanut Allergy was serious, although unlikely to kill. I said the staff needed to know. Richard agreed he would tell them.
A few weeks later, on another duty, I asked Richard if he had told the staff. He said he had, and warned me not to discuss the matter with anyone as it would be a serious breach of discipline if I were to discuss the welfare issues of a school child. I thought Richard might have lied to me about telling the staff, so I spoke to his superior, the Deputy Joe M. Joe M also said staff had been told, but I must not discuss welfare issues with anyone. I met with some of the members of staff from that evening and asked if anything had been said, and they said it might have been, but not to them. Prior to dinner, I came across Hamidur again and asked if the staff were more sympathetic now, and he said that if they were, he wasn't aware. I told him it was important he speak up, as I wouldn't be around much longer to press the issue. He asked why I was going. I said I might not be employed again as I was casual, although I thought to myself it was because Richard was trying to get rid of me for being fat. Hamidur asked if I had given up. I said "No, I haven't given up." Hamidur answered "Well I won't give up." And he turned and left me. I never saw him again.
Hamidur died in a school camp a year later. A teacher had rewarded him for finishing an activity by ordering him to lick peanut butter from a spoon. Maybe Hamidur thought that as he was in front of everyone in his year, and he had spoken enough on the issue, this might prove once and for all peanut allergy could make him very sick .. and the supervising teacher would get into trouble. Instead, Hamidur died in seconds. A coronial enquiry was not allowed to see my testimony on the issue as the Department of Education would later cover it up. When asked about the issue in the Legislative Council, the Department of Ed. replied

The tragic death by anaphylaxis of a student of Hurlstone Agricultural High School in March 2002 was the subject of a Coronial Inquiry conducted by Senior Deputy State Coroner Milledge. She delivered her findings on 9 September 2005. The recommendations of the Coronial Inquiry have been closely examined by the Department of Education and Training, NSW Health, non-government schools and other organisations as part of a Coronial Taskforce chaired by the Chief Health Officer. As a consequence, many changes to the management of food allergies were introduced from 2006 onwards and have become a standard part of Departmental policy and practice.
I am advised that the letter from the former teacher in April 2007 was provided 18 months after the conclusion of the inquest. The information appears not to relate to the boy who died, as it describes an event that occurred in the dining hall of the boarding house in 2001. That is, it appears to relate to a boarding student, while the boy who died was a day student.

Following is part 3