'Love you infinity Mum': Family mourns woman who died after ...
The woman who died after consuming a suspected magic mushroom drink in Clunes was a health practitioner who lived in New Zealand before settling in Melbourne and raising her son.
Rachael Dixon died in Clunes on Saturday night after suffering a potential cardiac arrest. Paramedics were called to treat the 53-year-old Ringwood North woman at the Soul Barn Creative Wellbeing Centre in Clunes, near Ballarat, after a report she was not breathing.
Rachael Dixon died at a wellness centre in Clunes.Credit: Facebook
The Victorian Coroner is investigating the death.
“The death of Rachael Dixon was reported to the Court and is currently being investigated,” a spokeswoman for the Court said.
Rachael Dixon with her son, Matthew.Credit: Facebook
Her son Matthew Mountain posted a tribute to his mother on Facebook on Sunday.
“To the most loving, most caring person I’ve ever known can’t thank you enough for everything you ever did for me and all the support you gave me, words can’t begin to describe how much I will miss you, wish I could give you one last hug,” he wrote.
“Love you infinity Mum.”
Dixon’s sister Penny Muller-Dixon said “words cannot express the heartbreak we are all feeling”.
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“Matthew your NZ family love you ♥️ we will see you soon. Life is so fkn short please hug and love those around you,” she posted on Facebook.
Soul Barn declined to comment when contacted by The Age.
“Moorabool crime investigation unit detectives are investigating the circumstances following the death of a woman in Clunes [on Sunday, 14 April],” a police spokeswoman said.
“The 53-year-old Ringwood North woman died at the scene. Investigations remain ongoing and police will prepare a report for the coroner.”
One of Dixon’s neighbours confirmed that her car was still parked outside Soul Barn.
Dixon, who grew up in New Zealand, had worked as a myotherapist and run her own health businesses. In her spare time, she enjoyed trail running and watching her son Matthew play cricket.
After The Age reported the death on Tuesday, Soul Barn’s social media channels attracted attention. Jude Darmanin, a holistic health worker who was scheduled to run a skincare clinic at a wellness event that weekend, posted on Instagram saying she was not present that evening.
Darmanin was scheduled to host a clinic offering “ancient skincare rituals” combined with modern techniques “to create nurturing yet active facials” at Soul Barn last Saturday and Sunday.
Paramedics were called to Soul Barn about 11.50pm on Saturday after reports a 53-year-old woman suffered a potential cardiac arrest and was not breathing.
Dixon died at the scene. Two other people were taken to the Ballarat Base Hospital for observation. Grampians Health has confirmed they have been discharged.
On Tuesday night, Darmanin, who describes herself as an “intuitive facialist” on her Instagram page, took to social media to express her sadness over the woman’s death and said she was not present at the wellbeing centre at the time of her death.
“I’m deeply saddened by the tragic event that occurred at Soul Barn over the weekend,” Darmanin wrote in a post on Instagram.
The Soul Barn in Clunes.Credit: Jason South
“There are some pieces of media floating around using some of my words and footage from my Instagram page. This was obtained and used without my consent or knowledge from the ad on Soul Barn’s socials. I don’t know any more than what has been reported in the news as I was not present.”
Darmanin was contacted for comment.
Investigators are probing whether some kind of toxic mushroom, potentially mistaken for the psychedelic variety known as magic mushrooms, was used in the drink that made the trio ill.
However, they have not ruled out other potentially toxic substances.
An advertisement posted to Soul Barn’s Facebook page last week promoted Darmanin’s workshop and said skin sculpting and lymphatic drainage services would be offered alongside facials.
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“Using infused herbal oils sourced from local farms & wild foraged plants, plus handcrafted skincare from around the world especially chosen for its potency and purity,” the post read.
It remains unclear if Dixon attended the scheduled skin clinic at Soul Barn.
Soul Barn is an “alternative and holistic health service” business that operates out of a commercial property in Fraser Street, Clunes, 33 kilometres north of Ballarat.
The centre’s website extols the virtues of holistic wellness, selling itself as a place to untangle the mind and “come to your senses and be in the present moment”.
Its Instagram page advertises a retreat venue space for hire, tarot card readings, a shop, a homestay and caravan, sound healing sessions, spiritual and full moon ceremonies and restorative yoga.
The Soul Barn in Clunes hosts a variety of wellness events.Credit: Facebook
Soul Barn hosted an event with a trance medium on Friday evening. A sound healing session due to be held at the centre on Sunday was cancelled after the woman’s death.
“My deepest apologies – sound healing is [cancelled] today,” a post on the business’ Facebook page read. “Email with refund and details have been sent to all booked.”
On Tuesday, toxicologist Dr Jonathan Karro, speaking about the potential dangers of mushrooms in general and not about this specific case, said differentiating between dangerous and safe or edible varieties was extremely challenging and he would advise anyone against trying to pick them unless they were a mycologist (a mushroom expert).
Karro, the director of emergency medicine at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne, said the most common mushroom-related cases at his hospital were people who though they had eaten psilocybin mushrooms, or magic mushrooms, which they had bought or picked from the wild.
He said it was rare – but not unheard of – for people who foraged for psychedelic mushrooms to accidentally ingest poisonous ones.
In Victoria, these deadly mushrooms include yellow-staining mushrooms and death cap mushrooms, which emerge in autumn.
“People get into trouble because different species of mushroom can be growing in the same area. So you can even pick a few mushrooms, and most of them are psychedelic, but [you can’t guarantee] that there isn’t a more poisonous or deadly mushroom as well,” he said.
With Gemma Grant, Marta Pascual Juanola and Chris Vedelago
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