In Launceston he sits in the front row of the public gallery at the inquest into the death of Larry Knight at the infamous Beaconsfield Mine.

Every single sitting day he's there, often alone, sometimes with Larry's widow, Jacquie, or with Union officials.

He greets everyone who enters the court with a warm smile, always ready to pass the time of day, even with those he blames for creating a living nightmare for his family.

His name is Shane Knight, Larry's brother.

Larry died in the rock collapse which also trapped Todd Russell and Brant Webb underground for two weeks in 2006.

The event unified the country. When they emerged the nation celebrated. The Knight family quietly, privately grieved.

Look at the photos of Larry flashed around the country in news reports at the time, then look at Shane's face in court now, and the family resemblance is almost spooky.

Shane lives in Queensland working in the Transport Industry. But for each and every one of the 38 sitting days of his brother's inquest he has made a point of travelling to the other end of the country to Launceston to be in court.

He does it out of a sense of duty to his late brother and also to help the lawyers representing the family at the inquest.

He explains he used to work in the mining industry and as high powered as they are, it's tough for them to understand a lot of the technicalities. He explains everything to them in laymens' terms.

But in a quiet chat outside the court, Shane Knight reveals what you suspect is the the real reason he's here. He reveals a sense of guilt.

You see, as a former miner himself, he says he persuaded his brother to go underground like he did, to get work in the mining industry, the industry which ultimately killed him.

Shane talks about it in a very matter of fact way, but you can see the pain in his eyes.

The Coroner will hand down his findings from this inquest early next year.

From those findings Shane wants justice for his brother, but also changes in the safety practices of the Mining Industry as a legacy for Larry.

In his final submission, the Knight family lawyer asked the coroner to find the mine operators contributed to Larry's death because of inadequate risk assessment and inadequate ground support.

I'm sure Shane is not vindictive, but believes such a finding would be for the greater good.

For him the inquest is something of a crusade. He said outside the court, "Unfortunately Larry has been killed, but there are many people who still work in this industry. We want to make a difference."

We hear so much about the heroes of Beaconsfield, Todd Russell and Brant Webb, but the dignity, determination and grace of Shane Knight during this inquest proves he too is an unsung hero of this tragedy.

All out of the finest motive, brotherly love.