A coronial inquest into the death of a man at a spiritual retreat in northern NSW has been told ambulance officers who arrived at the scene were not told he had used substances associated with ayahuasca and Kambo frog poison ceremonies.
Jarred Antonovich died on October 16, 2021, at the six-day Dreaming Arts Festival held in Collins Creek, north of Kyogle.
The NSW Coroner's Court was told the cause of his death was a perforated oesophagus.
The coroner will investigate whether the excessive vomiting often associated with ayahuasca and Kambo ceremonies caused the fatal tear.
Shamanic rituals
Ayahuasca is traditionally used by indigenous shamans, or natural healers, with promises of spiritual, physical and psychological healing and growth.
The plant grows only in the Amazon and when brewed with other natural jungle products, becomes one of the most powerful hallucinogens in the world.
Kambo devotees make small dot-like burns on their skin before applying poison harvested from the Amazonian giant tree frog, which induces severe vomiting.
The process is claimed to rid the body of toxins, but Australian health authorities say there is no evidence to support that claim, and Kambo carries the risk of heart attack and damage to the liver and stomach.
Counsel assisting the coroner Peggy Dwyer told the court Mr Antonovich was observed looking unwell at about 10am on the day of this death.
"His neck was extremely swollen," she said.
"He struggled throughout the day.
"By seven or eight o'clock he could not walk unassisted."
Dr Dwyer told the court an ambulance was not called until about 11:30pm, and it took an hour to arrive due to the remote location.
She said the first call for help suggested Mr Antonovich was suffering an asthma attack, but a subsequent post-mortem examination revealed toxic levels of N, N Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) — a psychedelic drug often associated with the ayahuasca ceremony.
The court heard the discovery of three small burn marks on the 46-year-old's chest also suggested he had taken part in the purging Kambo frog-poison ritual.
'Interfering with his aura'
Dr Dwyer also told the court that the ambulance officers who arrived at the scene noticed 10 to 20 people in the same space who were "preoccupied with the ceremony" that was taking place, and someone in the room asked the paramedics "move away from Jarred because they were interfering with his aura".
The woman who called the ambulance, Laara Cooper, told the court she noticed Mr Antonovich in "discomfort" when she arrived at the retreat sometime after sunset.
"I noticed his face was swollen," she said.
"He was breathing quite heavily, exerting himself, which can happen when you have Kambo.
"He was adamant he did not want to go to hospital.
"He said, 'I feel like this is a spiritual test I need to pass'."
State Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan asked the witness if she did not tell the ambulance officers about Mr Antonovich using Kambo and ayahuasca for fear of getting into trouble.
"That didn't occur to me," Ms Cooper said.
"They were asking me about the signs he was exhibiting.
"I was in a state of high adrenaline."
Ms Cooper also told the court there was a church of ayahuasca operating in the Northern Rivers region, but the substance was not referred to by name.
"They refer to it as a sacrament," she said.
Cover-up claim
Mr Antonovich's father, Glen Antonovich, struggled to contain his emotions as he gave evidence on the opening day of the inquest, telling the court the people he spoke to after his son's death seemed to have "collective amnesia".
"I am of the firm belief there has been a cover-up," he said.
"There was no medical help available ... no risk mitigation."
Mr Antonovich told the inquest his son had been involved in a serious car accident in 1997, which left him with an acquired brain injury.
The court heard he was later awarded about $300,000 in compensation.
"All of a sudden people came out of the woodwork looking for money," Mr Antonovich said.
"There were people trying to extract money out of him for their own benefit."
The inquest continues in Lismore, where event organisers are due to give evidence later this week.
