Rodney Stevens

Feelings of devastation and disbelief have permeated around the Clarence Valley and the nation following the news a father and son were found deceased in their Yamba home last Thursday in what police suspect was murder suicide.

After police received a call from a close family relative informing them two bodies had been found, officers from the Coffs Clarence Police District attended a home on Kookaburra Court, Yamba, about 1.10pm.

There officers located the bodies of 58-year-old Wayne Smith and his 15-year-old son Noah, both suffering fatal bullet wounds.

At a press conference on Friday June 2, at Coffs Harbour police station Superintendent Shane Cribb confirmed the incident is being treated as a murder suicide as no other people were involved.

“We have wrapped as much welfare around the family as we can,” he said.

“But we’ve also taken the welfare to another step, we’ve got schools involved, we’ve got community involved and we’ve got the emergency services.

“The main thing is to wrap as much support around people that we can and at the same time there is a very comprehensive investigation being undertaken by detectives.”

Supt Cribb said the police had no reason to suspect the boy was in any danger before the incident.

“The 58-year-old man was a licensed firearm holder and the firearm that was found at the scene he was licensed to have that firearm,” he said.

Police said they believe the murder suicide was perpetrated by the father, with the son the victim.

It is not known when the tragic incident occurred, and neighbours told police they didn’t hear any gunshots.

Every resource available has been involved in the police investigation, Supt Cribb said.

“Police will speak to a number of people, we will look at the history of both the father and the son, we’ll look at any family history and we’ll look at the school and speak to them and any neighbours we have been canvassing,” he said.

“We will go through the history of everything we possibly can, and we’ll provide as much information as we can for the coroner to make a determination.”

Mr Smith worked for the Port Authority of NSW for almost 40 years, following in his father’s footsteps, as Geoff Helisma reported for the Independent in 2013.

“Dad worked the ports for 28 years. From memory, he started at Ballina [once the second busiest port on the NSW coast] and transferred from there, when it closed, to here. I grew up in the pilot’s cottage up on the hill,” Wayne Smith told the Independent.

“I learnt the ropes as a deckie and worked my way up to master – I’m third generation and the last person to ever live and work at the pilot station.”

15-year-old Noah was a student at Macauley Catholic College and caught the bus from Yamba to school.

He was also a popular member of the Yamba Buccaneers juniors, and the club honoured his memory at both junior and senior games over the weekend.

A spokesperson from the Diocese of Lismore Catholic Schools Office said as this was a matter for the coroner, they were unable to make further comment.

Police will prepare a report for the coroner.

Help is available for anyone in times of crisis by calling Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636.