'His presence has never left me': Family of Indigenous man who died from undiagnosed illness fronts inquest

A coronial inquest has heard Paul Harris died in the small hospital, where Q fever and a lung clot went undiagnosed.

Paul Harris was remembered by his family as a larrikin who loved fishing and making people laugh. Credit: Aboriginal Legal Service/PR IMAGE

WARNING: This story contains the name and image of an Aboriginal person who has passed.

Paul Harris was more than just a hospital patient, a name on a medical chart, or a case in a coroner's file.

He was a "big kid", a "teddy bear" and a devoted family man, who loved nothing more than to make people laugh.

That is how the 43-year-old's family want to remember him, as a long-awaited and complex inquest into his death at a NSW rural hospital draws to a close.

Mr Harris died at Hay Hospital, in the Riverina, on October 17, 2019, after being treated for a suspected case of community-acquired pneumonia.

The inquest was told Mr Harris, an Indigenous man who worked at a meat processing plant, also had Q fever and a blood clot in the lungs that went undetected at the small medical facility.

Q fever is a disease caused by bacteria, generally spread to humans from livestock.

The hospital was not equipped with advanced screening services, including a specialised test that can detect pulmonary embolisms, witnesses told the inquest.

Two doctors, who worked long hours across both the hospital and the town's medical clinic, did not transfer him to the larger facility in Griffith.

Mr Harris's partner Louwesie Fitzpatrick said every happy moment became tinged with sadness after his death.

"Paul was a larrikin who loved his fishing and was always doing something silly to make people laugh," Ms Fitzpatrick said in a statement read by Aboriginal Legal Service solicitor Jacklyn Dougan-Jones in Griffith District Court on Wednesday.

"He could never sit still, he was always up to something and you always knew when he was around because the room was never quiet.

"I miss everything about him; his laugh, his mucking around and the way he could make life fun."

Ms Fitzpatrick said her pain was deepened by having to wait six years for an inquest, during which time Mr Harris's mother died and several grandchildren were born.

Deputy State Coroner Rebecca Hosking apologised for the delay, acknowledging it added to the family's enduring trauma.

"I can't bring Paul back, but I will make every effort to achieve the aims that you have asked me to achieve in ensuring that Paul is not forgotten, that we learn through this process ... and that real change, substantive change is achieved," Ms Hosking said.

Cameron Harris, Brooke Harris, Alana Harris, Danielle Harris, Paul Harris (L-R) in Hay, NSW. Credit: PR Handout

Mr Harris's four children remembered him as a playful dad who took them on adventures.

"His presence has never left me," said his youngest daughter, Danielle Harris, in a statement read to court by a relative.

"I can still hear his voice and his laughter and I can still feel the warmth of his hugs.

"All the memories replay in my mind and remind me of the love that he gave."

The Murrumbidgee Local Health District and many of the medical staff who cared for Mr Harris offered their condolences to his family earlier at the inquest.

Ms Hosking will hand down her findings at a later date.

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