Pat Cronin Foundation shares unimaginable grief with Aussie students to shift attitudes towards violence

The senseless death of a “treasured” Labor Party figure has sent shockwaves across the country and triggered immense grief for a man remembered as a devoted father and a person who brought joy to many.

Tim Picton was in a coma for weeks before he died following an alleged one-punch attack outside a Perth nightclub on December 27.

The father was a respected political and business leader who is credited with helping the Western Australian Labor Party achieve a landslide win in the 2021 state election.

Anthony Albanese said Mr Picton still had decades ahead of him.

“It is a cruel tragedy that he was taken from this world at such a young age,” the Prime Minister said.

This news shook Matt Cronin; His own son, Pat, died 10 years ago after being cowardly punched from behind.

“When we see something like what happened to Tim, we think, ‘Here we go again, that family is going to have to go through what we went through,'” he said.

A Monash University study published last year found that almost 300 people across Australia were convicted of cowardly punches between 1990 and 2020.

Most offenders were male and the average age was 26; More than a third involved alcohol, and most incidents occurred between 6pm and 6am.

Mr. Cronin and his wife, Robyn, never expected their son to die a violent death.

Pat was 19, had won a scholarship to college and was captain of the football team, but on one fateful night in April 2016, a cowardly punch left him unable to return home.

“As parents, we never thought we would lose a child like this to violence, we were worried about car accidents,” Mr. Cronin said.

“Pat was a good kid, a leader in every way you can think of.”

Pat went out for a quiet night out with friends, and while she was out, one of her friends was attacked.

Mr Cronin said Pat did what he had always taught him to do, which was to help his friend and get him out of trouble, but in that moment of bravery he was hit from behind.

“Pat did not faint. He did not hit the ground. He started walking and talking immediately after he was shot and continued to gather his friends together,” he said.

“Then, two hours later, he had a seizure.”

Mr Cronin said Pat went to a friend’s house to spend the night, then complained of a headache.

He called home to say he wasn’t feeling well, and his mother thought he seemed a little drunk because he was slurring his words.

“But we know he wasn’t drunk anymore because they did a blood test on him later. He had a seizure and never regained consciousness. Two days later we turned off life support,” Mr Cronin said.

A friend who was involved with White Ribbon suggested they set up a charity to talk about violence against men and Pat Cronin Foundation.

School leaders worked with the Victorian Department of Education and the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority to develop a program that sent the message that violence in schools is never acceptable.

The Victorian government has been funding the Pat Cronin Foundation since 2021, delivering the Be Wise education program to 200 Victorian schools each year.

He also travels to most states to present his training program.

The program raises awareness of the ‘coward’s fist’ and supports students to make wise choices and avoid the tragic consequences of violence.

“The power of sharing Pat’s story is pretty incredible,” Mr. Cronin said.

“We consistently receive feedback from students that this was the most powerful presentation they have ever seen, and teachers say behavior in the schoolyard changed the next day as a result.

“We survey students before and after the presentation to measure the change in attitudes, and the difference is quite noticeable.

“We are trying to send the message that violence is never acceptable.

“We share Pat’s story, we talk about the consequences, and Pat’s story is the worst possible outcome.

“We know it makes a difference, and for us it’s about educating children as young as possible.”

Monash University Associate Professor of Forensic Medicine Jennifer Schumann said further tragedies could be prevented by understanding one-punch cases to shape more effective legal and public health strategies.

“As well as legislation, changes to liquor regulations and public health campaigns have also played a role in the fight against cowardly fist violence,” he said.