Mayor of the Hepburn Shire Council, Brian Hood, says people are in shock after Clunes was rocked by two deaths in the space of less than two weeks.
On April 5th, the body of 23-year-old Clunes woman Hannah McGuire was found in a burnt-out car in bushland south-west of Ballarat.
And last weekend, 53-year-old Melbourne woman Rachael Dixon died at a wellness retreat in the town after consuming a drink, believed to be made with mushrooms.
Cr. Hood said people have been clearly and understandably shaken.
“No doubt this all has a very detrimental effect on people, and it’s cumulative because there’s been so many varied issues for people to deal with,” he said.
“I think the community is pretty resilient and pretty strong and they do a magnificent job of supporting each other through very tough times.”
The Clunes retreat where Ms. Dixon passed away on Saturday has now spoken about the incident.
In a social media post, Soul Barn said there’s no words to express the deep sorrow and shock they are feeling.
They said they hire out workshop space to external businesses, with none of their regular therapists or staff at the private event on Saturday.
The store remains closed as police continue their investigations.
