The former partner of Tom Phillips and mother of his three children has endured unimaginable hardship over the past four years, and friends are now speaking out to defend her amid the ongoing controversy.

In the last 12 months, Cat worked at a Waitomo farm, just a short distance — less than 300 meters — from where her former partner was fatally shot. Farmers Clive and Sandra Morgan, who employed her to spray gorse on their Te Anga Rd property, praised Cat’s resilience and character, describing her as a woman who had faced extraordinary challenges.

“She’s a good lady, very strong, physically capable, and intelligent,” Clive Morgan said. “She’s incredibly talented, especially as a sheep shearer, and yet she’s had to endure the heartbreak of her children being missing for over three years.”

The Morgans recalled the day of the deadly stand-off, when a helicopter overhead startled them — at the time, they had no idea the confrontation was taking place so close by. Despite the chaos surrounding the events, they emphasized that Cat remained professional and steadfast in her work, quietly managing her grief and responsibilities.

Friends and neighbors insist that before anyone rushes to judge Cat, they should consider the unimaginable strain she has lived under for years — forced to navigate her life while separated from her children and thrust into the national spotlight under intense scrutiny.

“She’s been through more than most people could imagine,” Sandra Morgan added. “It’s easy for outsiders to throw blame, but Cat has shown nothing but strength and dignity throughout this entire ordeal.”

For those who have followed the story closely, these testimonies offer a perspective often overlooked: the human side of a mother’s struggle, the quiet courage of a woman enduring years of loss, and the resilience it takes to survive while the world watches.