24 minutes ago
'Fighting a never-ending battle of low self-esteem': Erin details body image issues
Mr Mandy asks how Erin felt about herself.
“Physically, not good,” she said.
“I’d been fighting a never-ending battle of low self-esteem most of my adult life, and the further inroads I made into being middle aged, the less I felt good about myself.”
She said she put on more weight and was planning to have gastric bypass surgery.
Erin told the court she met Simon at Monash Council in the early 2000s, where she worked as an admin assistant for RSCPA which was contracted by the council, while her husband was a traffic engineer.
Asked how their relationship began, Erin said they had mutual friends and they spent time together with lunch or after work drinks.
She said they began dating in July 2005.
18 minutes ago
'I was trying to convert him to being an atheist': Erin on her early relationship with Simon
She said she met Simon’s parents in early 2005. Erin described herself as a “fundamentalist atheist” at that time, while Simon was Christian.
“We had a lot of conversations about life, religion, politics … and I was trying to convert him to being an atheist, but things happened in reverse, and I became a Christian,” she said.
She said she met his parents for the first time at Korumburra Baptist Church in early 2005.
“I remember being really excited about it, because I’d never been to a church service before I’d been to my sister’s wedding in a church that was it, and I was I was really looking forward to it,” she said.
She said she remembered Ian was preaching and there was a banner on the wall behind him.
“It could still be there now, but it said … faith, hope and love,” she said.
“Ian gave a sermon talking about that.”
She said a communion followed the service which she participated in.
Asked what impact the service had on her, Erin replied: “I had what, best can be described as, like a spiritual experience.”
She said she’d previously thought of religion as an “intellectual exercise” but the experience was different and she felt “quite overwhelmed” by it.
14 minutes ago
Erin and Simon enjoyed going camping together
Erin said she went on lots of weekend camping trips with Simon in 2005 which brought her closer to him.
“I remember (camping) was really important to Simon that year. He was concerned that he’d become too work focused … he wanted to make sure that he turned off, switched off, and relaxed over the weekend,” she said.
“I was always welcome and usually went.”
Simon was also a member of the Glen Eira Christian Community Church in Melbourne, which she attended a few times with him.
They also visited his parents several times that year, also going to Korumburra Baptist Church.
Erin said she also began attending bible study with Simon’s cousin and two of his school friends.
The pair became engaged in February 2007.
4 minutes ago
Erin's parents missed her wedding for Russian holiday
In 2006, she moved to a small town called near Korumburra.
At their wedding, Erin said she walked down the aisle by David Wilkinson – the son of Ian Wilkinson – because her own parents were “in Russia, on a train” at the time.
She said they had their honeymoon in Olinda but they were keen to do a trip around Australia.
They sold their belongings and bought a Nissan Patrol, first heading to Sydney before they “slowly meandered” their way across Australia.
The couple eventually settled in Perth towards the end of 2007.
“Simon was pretty keen to keep traveling, and I was pretty keen to stop for a while and put down roots. I was keen to start having babies, I guess, for one better way to phrase it, so we did,” she said.
Simon got a council job about 40 minutes south of Perth while Erin applied for university.
She said she fell pregnant in about March or April 2008 before their son was born in January the following year.
4:14 PM
'I had no idea what to do with a baby': Accused grateful for in-laws' help
During the first few weeks of their son’s life, Erin said Simon’s parents came over to meet him.
She said they were living in a small flat at the time, so they decided to rent a place down south where they stayed with Don and Gail for about a week.
“I remember being really relieved that Gail was there, because I felt really out of my depth. I had no idea what to do with a baby, and I was not confident, and she was really supportive and gentle and patient with me,” she said.
She said Gail gave her good advice about the baby.
“You know you don’t have to stick to this timetable, this schedule. Just relax and enjoy your baby,” she said.
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