'It was a comfort for Rob to know he'd die on his own terms'

Briton chose death in Australia

- By Hanna Geissler Health Editor

THE sister of a British man who chose to have an assisted death in Australia days before his 40th birthday has insisted it was the right thing to do.

Rob Smyth moved to Queensland from Ware, Hertfordshire, during the pandemic for a life of sunshine and adventure with his wife Tess and their two young sons.

But their world was rocked when he was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in October 2022 after going to his doctor with back pain and a persistent cough. Relatives urged him to return to the UK so they could support him and his family. But his sister Liz recalls: “He said that whatever time he had left, he wanted to spend it in Australia — go to the beach, be in the sun with his wife and children.

“That’s what he did. He went fishing, he went hiking, and made memories with his wife and kids.” By May 2023, Rob’s health was rapidly deteriorating and he applied for voluntary assisted dying, which had been legalised in the state that year.

Liz said: “Even though he was moving forward with this process, he was still looking for [treatment] trials. He wanted to live.”