In the past week, it's a question many of us have asked ourselves. This much we did know. Last Tuesday morning, Mark and Jacoba Tromp left everything behind to embark on a road trip to the Jenolan Caves in NSW with their three adult children, Riana, 29, Mitchell, 25 and Ella, 22.

So far, so, well…regular, except there was clearly nothing regular about the trip from the onset. As Mitchell Tromp told reporters "everyday pressures" had got to his parents and they wanted to flee. What these "everyday pressures" were no one could really say.

What we were told was that there was no history of mental illness or drug issues, outstanding debt, or church or sect affiliation. Curiously, those at the centre of it all also seemed lost for words.

Even if we had the "whole story", as Mitchell, the family's unofficial spokesman, told waiting media, it wouldn't explain how the events had so inexorably led to the breakdown of their tight-knit family.

Is it any surprise then that we were so drawn to this "strange and sudden" tale of intrigue?

Not only did it have all the elements of a bona fide "who done it?", it seemed the more we were told, the less we knew. It was as if we'd entered a house of mirrors.

After all, initial reports promised a quasi-criminal case (granted, Ella has since been charged with car theft, and an agitated Mark Tromp eluded rescue attempts for days, but that's as nefarious as it gets) and so driven were we to think the worst that we needed only the bare bones upon which to create a beast of our own making.

But with two of the five members of the family who'd presented erratically now recovering in hospital (after being medically assessed Mark was released into the care of his police officer brother) it seemed that we could no longer ignore the elephant in the room – there may not have been a history of mental illness, but the signs, if you cared to look closely enough, were all there, says beyondblue's Stephen Carbone.

CONGRATULATIONS to the tradesmen responsible for repairs to the northern gate entrance of Bloomfield. A 100 per cent perfect job.

THE Central Western Daily’s recent editorial, "Help welcome for vulnerable households" (September 1) deserves to be widely read and discussed.

The final paragraph in that very good editorial certainly sums up what many residents believe: "unless more focus is placed on creating more and better-paying employment opportunities the demand for blankets and vouchers at Vinnies will remain".

Recent reports indicate that where new jobs have been created across Australia they are almost all part-time.

It's no secret that the youth unemployment in this country continues to be a real concern.

Unemployment is causing far too many social problems and this will continue until our society and governments agree that five per cent and over unemployment is unacceptable and should not be seen as the norm.