The dying wish of courageous Australian asbestos victim Gillian North is starting to be heard, with home renovators downing tools over concerns about the deadly material.
Daily Mail Australia was at the forefront of reporting Ms North’s heart-breaking final days as she fought to warn the public their lives could be at risk if they are exposed to asbestos while restoring their own homes.
The former corporate lawyer and professor died on December 23 south of Sydney, aged 61, after a painful but extraordinary three year journey in which she researched asbestos and laid the foundations for reforms.
She developed mesothelioma after being exposed to asbestos while renovating homes in London and Sydney in the 1990s and was diagnosed with the fatal illness in 2018.
Ms North hoped those reforms will include the compulsory removal of asbestos from existing buildings.
The dying wish of courageous asbestos victim Gillian North is starting to be heard, with home renovators downing tools over concerns about the deadly material
Daily Mail Australia was at the forefront of reporting Ms North’s heart-breaking final days as she fought to warn the public their lives could be at risk if they are exposed to asbestos while restoring their own homes
Her husband Martin North has been contacted by hundreds of well-wishers since her death, many of whom say they have halted their home renovations until they get professional inspections.
Several have directly contacted Mr North, by phone, email and via social media.
‘Some I said they had planned to start renovating over Christmas but they didn’t because they saw the article and coverage and the fact is they weren’t aware,’ Mr North said.
Three days before she died Ms North told Daily Mail Australia she knew she would save lives.
Gillian North (left) pictured with her sister Trudy and her husband Grant in New Zealand in the late 1990s. They will both be attending Gill’s memorial service on Thursday
Martin North said told Daily Mail Australia that Gillian North managed to ‘turn a pointless death into an amazing jumping off point to hopefully create change and save lives’
‘I know I have,’ Ms North said, saying she had convinced friends to pause work on their homes until they were sure it was safe to continue.
‘We’ve had numerous friends who have ceased doing their DIY. We have to try to save as many lives as we can,’ she said.
Her plea was for home renovators to pay for professionals to remove the deadly building material, which is found in one third of homes across Australia.
‘Honestly, every time someone says they have read an article or seen Gill on television, and decided to get a professional check for asbestos I feel like ringing a bell, because that could be a life saved,’ Mr North said on Wednesday.
He admitted the past month has been a rollercoaster of emotions.
‘I’ve had a certain amount of quiet sobbing, but I am extremely motivated to make sure Gill’s wishes are followed. It gives me purpose too.’
‘They are taking it seriously and that’s the point, so as hard as it’s been for me, these messages are a cause for celebration.
He said it’s ‘not a surprise’ people are starting to wake up about asbestos because ‘they need to’.
‘The level of awareness across community was so low, so it’s not surprising people are starting to wake up,’ he said.
Mr North said he is not trying to ‘scare people’ – just help them to understand and reduce their risks.
‘I don’t want anyone to die like Gill died, her last 48 hours was excruciating.
‘Her dying wish was people would wake up and make better decisions than she did.’
Several people tweeted their change of heart of renovations.
‘I’m about to start a renovation in my 1989 built home’s bathroom and this story sticks with me [so] thank you. I will be having it tested before I start,’ said a father, Danny.
‘With young children I will definitely not be toying with their lives just to save a few bob.’
Martin North paid tribute to his wife Gillian (pictured), who developed mesothelioma after doing home her own home renovations and died on Thursday. He released video showing her trying to breathe seven hours before she passed away
Ms North’s home at Hampstead, London during the 1990s. She did ‘major renovations’ there by herself
‘Thanks to you and dear Gill I will be arranging a thorough asbestos audit for my vacant investment property (old Queenslander) tomorrow,’ tweeted Caroline.
‘Reading about your story has given me the prompt I needed to deal with some suspected asbestos around my place,’ tweeted another father from south-east Victoria.’
‘Just bought a reno house with asbestos. I’m very much grateful for hearing her story,’ wrote Alex.
Mr North says the fight to stop people meeting the same fate as his wife, who was exposed to asbestos during renovations in London and Sydney, has a long way to go.
Ms North was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2018 and before she died, she wrote a remarkable 18 research papers about the dangers and legal picture, and also surveyed 40,000 households about their awareness of asbestos.
She also created a charity, Asbestos Awareness Australia, to support her work.
Gillian North was extremely fit and energetic up until her mesothelioma diagnosis in 2018, and even after that she amazed palliative care workers by walking up to an hour a day until recently
The exterior of Ms North’s home at Hampstead in London. It was one of the home renovations where she believes she was exposed to asbestos
‘What she said was if I can save one life it’s been worthwhile, well judging by the immediate response a number of people have said they are getting their homes checked and that they are changing their plans, so Gill was definitely on the right track.’
While the changes Ms North wants to see have not yet been made, Mr North feels there is public support for them.
She wants to see compulsory residential property asbestos assessments prior to sale, renovation, or lease and residential property owners forced to have the deadly material removed by licensed tradespeople.
Ms North suggested interest-free loans should be available to help owners get rid of it.
She also wants national public health campaigns to warn about the dangers of exposure to asbestos still in homes and buildings.
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