Today...

started out like anyother day. I was running late for uni, but still made it for an 11am meeting with Marg. I was focussing the microscope to show her my CD3 and CD68 staining results when we heard the sound of breaking glass. I turned to look out the window and saw a foot kick out the glass in a window at a right angle to where I was and about 2 metres down. I remember thinking *It's Maintenance changing the glass in the womens toilets*, when the head of a man, Asian late 20s/early 30s, came out and looked down. He then started to climb out the window and I said "What's he doing?" to which Marg said "Ohmigod, its a suicide attempt".

Marg ran to the office to ring security and told me to remain where I was and keep an eye on him. Unsure at what to do, I stood there and watched relaying his actions to the office. He climbed out and balanced on the window frame, then squatted and started to take some deep breaths. Suddenly he started yelling *Don't try to stop me!*, and I realised there was somone on the ground talking to him. He then started to pull at the shards left in the frame and I had a vision of him slitting his wrists or throat. At this point, he started moving around on the frame which is/was pretty flimsy. I'm not sure how long he was doing that for, but I was relieved when he went back inside the bathroom. After a few moments he climbed out again and leaned backwards out of the window in the reverse of his original position and turned his head a few times. I saw his face clearly, I don't know if he saw mine, but that kinda snapped something in me and I started to ask (well, yell) that someone replace my watch. At the same time, I couldnt force myself away from the window. Then I started to cry and Siobbhan from the office came to take me away as Police and Security had arrived.

They sealed off the Cameron and we went to the Common room where I kind of burst into tears. Other people in the dept came in and we all sat around discussing theories. The observation was made that if he really wanted to kill himself, there were higher floors to jump from and he would have done it quickly rather than sit there. We sat there for about an hour or so when an announcement was made that *The Incident* was over and anyone who had observed anything was to go down to the 2nd floor foyer. While I was waiting for another girl to get her jacket, Peter the Lab Manager came to speak to Marg and I. Marg asked if The Man had been talked down successfully to which Peter replied that he had jumped.

The stairwell had been blocked off with Police tape so we took an elevator down where we saw more Police tape and cars parked on Grattan St. We were ushered into the West/Medicine office wing, which was probably the worst thing to do because the offices on the right had a direct view of the garden where The Man fell. I saw some distraught women in those offices. This area had not been sealed off and I remember seeing students making enquiries at the desk. There was more Police tape and people taking photographs out there. The next bit is a blur, but I remember writing my name and contact details down for security, crying, and talking to a counsellor who told me to stay at uni but not to do any work.

Around 3pm, I was informed that The Man was in the Emergency ward of RMH, his condition was unknown, and that he'd been discharged from the hospital this morning. His last place of residence was a Salvation Army hostel. I don't really know anything else.