Wangaratta mother's emotional letter to MP Helen Haines

A Wangaratta mother has poured her heart out in a handwritten letter to local MP Helen Haines, who remains in a critical condition in a Melbourne hospital after being struck by a car outside her office.

Lizz Gourley, an educational support worker from north-east Victoria, met Ms Haines only a handful of times, but those brief interactions left a lasting impression on her.

“Dear Helen,

It's hard to find the words to express how deeply sorry we all are for what has happened to you. What you have been subjected to is unfathomable, devastating and completely unacceptable. It should never have happened. Not to you, not to anyone.”

In her letter, Ms Gourley expressed her admiration for Ms Haines, describing her as “genuinely kind, warm-hearted, intelligent and compassionate”.

“There was no pretence, no sense of someone playing a role, just a good woman who genuinely cared about the people around her,” Ms Gourley wrote.

Ms Gourley also shared a photo of Ms Haines with her four-week-old daughter Minnie, which she said was a moment that had inspired her to write the letter.

“This is a photo of you with my daughter, Minnie, who was only four weeks old at the time. I have thought about this moment a lot this week. It was never a photo opportunity or political moment for you: simply a genuine interaction between two women, while we chatted about babies and midwifery,” she wrote.

Ms Gourley's letter is just one of many gestures of support for Ms Haines, who is currently fighting for her life in hospital.

Ms Haines' husband, Phil Haines, recently shared news that his wife's heart and mind remained, but her second leg could not be saved.

Lizz Gourley's four-year-old son Roy also left a letter at Ms Haines's office, along with a decorated card from his sister Minnie.