James Dodds' partner spoke up to prevent further tragedy

PERSON OF THE MONTH

Rotorua's Gabby Molloy says when she went to the inquest into the death of her partner she had no idea her plea for a change would be taken so seriously.

Ms Molloy is the Rotorua Daily Post Person of the Month for May after she gave evidence at the inquest into the death of James Dodds which led to a change in the firearms code. The change means all new firearms licence holders will be advised to stick together or stop hunting if they lose sight of their hunting partner.

Mr Dodds, 30, was killed by his friend Henry Worsp after they separated while hunting for fallow deer in the Paeroa Ranges in September.

During an inquest into Mr Dodds' death in March, Ms Molloy told the coroner she did not mind people splitting up while hunting, but a hunter should not "take the shot" if they can't see their hunting partner.

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Ms Molloy said she went to the inquest as she felt strongly that this type of accident could be prevented.

"I had no idea my plea would be taken so seriously, so that really is fantastic.

"My only reason for speaking at the time was to tell the coroner what my thoughts were as someone who was directly affected and had put a lot of thought into how it could be prevented."

Ms Molloy said since Mr Dodds' death she had spoken to friends about "splitting up" while hunting.

"Lots of people hunt together but split at the start of the day or other similar scenarios so the new law change could upset a few people who see it as impeding on their hunting rights.

"What I hope it [the change to the code] has achieved though, is making people more aware that when you're flushing game together in an area it is very easy to mistake your partner for the game."

She said she was not sure increasing prison sentences worked.

"What Kiwi bloke with a massive stag in his sights is going to stop and think 'hmm, if this isn't a stag I could get an extra six months in jail'? The emotional repercussions of taking your friend's life are far, far worse than the prison sentence."

More than nine months on from Mr Dodds' death, Ms Molloy admits she is still finding life hard.

"I worried at first that my memories of him would fade after a few years but it's been the opposite. The more time that passes the more I miss him and the clearer his memories are.

"Although this has, and is the hardest thing I've ever been through, I don't feel angry that it has happened to me.

"What I mean is that I miss Dodzy with all my heart and wish I could have him back ...

"But the experience of surviving the death of someone who is the other half of you is making me a better person.

"I feel more alive, more connected to life and the people I love, more compassionate for other people whom I would previously probably have judged unfairly."

Ms Molloy is overseas on a trip she decided to do following Mr Dodds' death.

"I decided I would do a trip and see all the places that Dodzy would have found boring, eg. visiting castles and going to museums. I'm discovering that my attention span for those things is only slightly longer than his was."

As part of her trip she will also volunteer in an orphanage in Uganda.