paul1980...I'm unfamiliar with the book you raised titled 'Death Mask', however once I searched it appears that the author Kathryn Fox has acclaim and background credibility as a medical physician. The book deals with male sports and tribal mentality. It's a worthy topic that's seldom covered. Nowhere in reviews did I see any reference to what you've mentioned above. Joanne Ratcliffe's sister has been vocal in South Australia's media in the hope to raise awareness and resolve child abduction cold cases. She has a Facebook page. If it is as you say, she's the one you should contact.
Australia Australia - Joanne Ratcliffe, 11, & Kirste Gordon, 4, Adelaide, 25 Aug1973
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they'll get you
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Man claims he saw Joanne Ratcliffe and Kirste Gordon loaded into van at a boarding house after their disappearance from Adelaide Oval
CRAIG COOK SUNDAY MAIL (SA) AUGUST 31, 2013 10:01PM
MAJOR Crimes detectives are investigating claims that Joanne Ratcliffe and Kirste Gordon were loaded into the back of a van at a Prospect boarding house soon after disappearing from Adelaide Oval 40 years ago.
Prospect man Robert McMahon, 73, approached the Sunday Mail during the week claiming he saw the girls at a Vine St boarding house on the day they were supposedly abducted from the 1973 SANFL match between Norwood and North Adelaide.
He said the girls were accompanied by a man known as 'Scotty' with whom he shared the boarding house.
He said Scotty, who claimed the girls were his grandchildren, paraded the pair in front of his housemates before taking them outside and ordering them into a cream-white van parked in a laneway at the back of the boarding house.
Mr McMahon said he was so disturbed by the incident he drew pictures that night of what he claims he saw and wrote a letter detailing what happened at the property on August 25, 1973.
Mr McMahon claims that late on the afternoon of August 25, 1973 he was sitting in his room watching a VFA football match on TV when he "heard a racket" out the back of the house.
"I went to check and there was one of the borders coming in and he had two children with him," he said.
"He had the little one under his right arm and the other one was ahead of him.
"He walked them around in a circle in front of us (four or five men) laughing and joking.
"He said the kids were his grandchildren but when the older one went to speak he told her to 'shut up' and not say anything.
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/...om-adelaide-oval/story-fni6uo1m-1226708311478
CRAIG COOK SUNDAY MAIL (SA) AUGUST 31, 2013 10:01PM
MAJOR Crimes detectives are investigating claims that Joanne Ratcliffe and Kirste Gordon were loaded into the back of a van at a Prospect boarding house soon after disappearing from Adelaide Oval 40 years ago.
Prospect man Robert McMahon, 73, approached the Sunday Mail during the week claiming he saw the girls at a Vine St boarding house on the day they were supposedly abducted from the 1973 SANFL match between Norwood and North Adelaide.
He said the girls were accompanied by a man known as 'Scotty' with whom he shared the boarding house.
He said Scotty, who claimed the girls were his grandchildren, paraded the pair in front of his housemates before taking them outside and ordering them into a cream-white van parked in a laneway at the back of the boarding house.
Mr McMahon said he was so disturbed by the incident he drew pictures that night of what he claims he saw and wrote a letter detailing what happened at the property on August 25, 1973.
Mr McMahon claims that late on the afternoon of August 25, 1973 he was sitting in his room watching a VFA football match on TV when he "heard a racket" out the back of the house.
"I went to check and there was one of the borders coming in and he had two children with him," he said.
"He had the little one under his right arm and the other one was ahead of him.
"He walked them around in a circle in front of us (four or five men) laughing and joking.
"He said the kids were his grandchildren but when the older one went to speak he told her to 'shut up' and not say anything.
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/...om-adelaide-oval/story-fni6uo1m-1226708311478
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Sutton
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RSBM. Thanks for posting, including quotes and setting the pictures up in such a comparable way.
There are many disturbing elements in that article, startling with--ALL OF IT!
Mr. McMahon was so troubled by the incident that he wrote down the events and drew pictures of the girls, sealed them in an envelope and stored them in a lock box. His two calls to police were ignored. Why not write a letter to the newspaper? Or to the girls' families?
His drawings look remarkably similar to the newspaper clippings. The photo of Mr. McMahon holding the drawings indicates he may have lived a storied life. He seems sincere. Maybe that was an unstable time in his life and his memory is flawed? He could have drawn the girls after he saw their missing pictures in the newspaper.
If this all turns out to be true--shame on the other boarders, absolutely no excuse for silence. Shame on the police. I hope the girls' families can sue the police for inaction (no idea of that's allowed). There's nothing like financial penalty to herald changes.
paul1980
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The reason so many child abuse victims get attacked for coming forward when it's not a stranger that molested or raped them them is simply because most people trust the familiar. Most people don't want to admit that their trust could be misplaced, or that the familiar could be dangerous.
People that attack child abuse victims exploit their tragedies and enjoy causing the victims additional harm and distress. Such action should be deplored by others, not congratulated. Most find such behaviour inexcusable and unforgivable, and we now have Laws to protect victims from on-line bullying. Those Laws also apply to intimidating witnesses. Lawyers advice to me, was to print off the defamatory statements made by 2 contributors here, which I did. I also tried to defend the accusations made against myself and the Journalist, however this was later removed in support of those defamatory, untrue claims. Copies have been sent off to a group of Adelaide psychologist who are following the case, and copy will also go to 'victim groups' here and Interstate.
scriptgirl
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Article from last March-a hidden bunker?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...erground-bunker-abandoned-childhood-home.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...erground-bunker-abandoned-childhood-home.html
JusticeWillBeServed
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Parents of Kirste Gordon and sister of Joanne Ratcliffe tell of pain over abduction, presumed murder, on International Missing Childrens Day
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/parents-of-kirste-gordon-and-sister-of-joanne-ratcliffe-tell-of-pain-over-abduction-presumed-murder-on-international-missing-childrens-day/news-story/4de25d84f4ced1b061473f71a91df8df
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/parents-of-kirste-gordon-and-sister-of-joanne-ratcliffe-tell-of-pain-over-abduction-presumed-murder-on-international-missing-childrens-day/news-story/4de25d84f4ced1b061473f71a91df8df
Interview with suzie ratcliffe
https://au.tv.yahoo.com/sunrise/vid...rnational-missing-childrens-day/?cmp=st#page1
https://au.tv.yahoo.com/sunrise/vid...rnational-missing-childrens-day/?cmp=st#page1
"We had to determine how we were to go on with our lives," Greg and Christine Gordon said in a statement released on International Missing Children's Day on Wednesday.
"At the core of our thinking was that the perpetrator had claimed Kirste as a victim but that he should be denied any further collateral victims."
Mr and Mrs Gordon spoke of their horror over a witness report of a man taking the children into a nearby car park before they disappeared.
"To receive information which made it clear that some evil, opportunistic predator had targeted our young daughter was absolutely gut-wrenching," they said.
"It took little imagination to realise the most likely outcomes of this abduction could include physical abuse and loss of life."
The Gordon and Ratcliffe families are in Canberra to launch an International Missing Children's Day event.
"Sitting here in the hotel room in Canberra ... and finding it hard to believe we have come such a long way in raising awareness of Joanne and Kirste," Suzie Ratcliffe, Joanne's sister, said in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
Read more at http://www.9news.com.au/national/20...n-s-parents-not-giving-up#sMk4HE00vSirkilq.99
"At the core of our thinking was that the perpetrator had claimed Kirste as a victim but that he should be denied any further collateral victims."
Mr and Mrs Gordon spoke of their horror over a witness report of a man taking the children into a nearby car park before they disappeared.
"To receive information which made it clear that some evil, opportunistic predator had targeted our young daughter was absolutely gut-wrenching," they said.
"It took little imagination to realise the most likely outcomes of this abduction could include physical abuse and loss of life."
The Gordon and Ratcliffe families are in Canberra to launch an International Missing Children's Day event.
"Sitting here in the hotel room in Canberra ... and finding it hard to believe we have come such a long way in raising awareness of Joanne and Kirste," Suzie Ratcliffe, Joanne's sister, said in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
Read more at http://www.9news.com.au/national/20...n-s-parents-not-giving-up#sMk4HE00vSirkilq.99
There's been some recent developments....See "Person of interest in Beaumont children case arrested for historical child abuse'". This was first reported on the 9/6/16 and Channel 7 evening News followed up 10/6/16. This will relate back to last years Advertiser report from Bryan Littlely, and can be found on-line
"Vigilantes hunt convicted paedophile in South-East Asia to quiz him over the missing Beaumont children".
"Vigilantes hunt convicted paedophile in South-East Asia to quiz him over the missing Beaumont children".
OkieGranny
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worldwatcher
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I have read about the way they went missing
-a few years ago- most haunting horror
I did read that a witness saw that Joanne trying to save Kriste when the creep dragged her away and Joanne tried to stop him.
Just searched the name of him and it seems like the creep alright!
"
Arthur Brown was born in Merinda, Queensland, on 20 May 1912 and moved to Townsville with his parents when he was four. Following the separation of his parents he moved to Melbourne, Victoria with his mother where he remained until he got a drivers licence when he moved back to Townsville and obtained work as a meatpacker. He was exempted from military service in World War II as his job was listed as a Reserved occupation and in 1946 became a maintenance carpenter with the Queensland Department of Public Works where he was known to his workmates as a polite, immaculately dressed man who ironed knife-edge creases in his work uniforms. He was nicknamed The Scarlet Pimpernel based on the verse from the play[1] as he could be anywhere at any time due to flexible work hours and self supervision.
In 1944 Brown married Hester Porter (Née Andersen) following her divorce and became a stepfather to her three children. According to Hester's older sister Milly, Hester later told her that she was afraid of Brown and that she had caught him molesting a child and was trying to prevent him from being alone with children. Hester once gave a female relative the "prized" lacework she'd inherited from her mother saying that she didn't want "his next lady love to get it". When asked whom she meant, Hester had replied "Charlotte, of course". On 15 May 1978 Hester, by now bedridden with arthritis, died after hitting her head in a fall and Hesters younger sister Charlotte, who had five children, moved in with Brown. The couple married later that year. Some members of Hesters family believed Brown had killed Hester. One relative recalled that Brown wasn't grieving the day Hester died but was "shaking with fright" and looked worried. Brown told family members that he had paid for a post-mortem that found the death to be an accident but investigating police found this to be untrue and believe the family doctor had written out a death certificate without examining the body, which Brown had had cremated.[2]
In 1982 another of Hester's sisters told her parents that Brown had molested her while a small girl. After this, many more of the Anderson extended family came forward to say they also had been molested. Following legal advice that taking the matter to court could be traumatic for the victims, the incidents were to be kept a family secret. It was not entirely secret, however, as an entry in Christine Millier's diary dated 23 January 1991 and produced at his trial in 1999 reads: "Kids and I went for walk to Strand. Arthur Brown drove by and the kids called him "rock spider", shouting it out. Eventually they told me what a rock spider was".[3]
Mackay sisters Edit
Five-year-old Susan and seven-year-old Judith MacKay disappeared on the morning of Wednesday, 26 August 1970 from a school bus stop 200 metres (660 ft) from their home in the Townsville suburb of Aitkenvale less than 10 minutes after leaving home. A search for the missing girls was mounted after they failed to return home after school and continued until the girls' bodies were found on Friday in the dry bed of Antill Creek, 25 km (16 mi) south-west of Townsville. Susan was found first and a trail of footprints from her body led searchers 70 metres (230 ft) to where Judith's body lay. It was speculated that Judith had fled while Susan was being killed and had then been run down. A post-mortem revealed that Susan had been raped, strangled and stabbed three times in the chest, possibly after death. Judith had also been raped and stabbed three times in the chest but cause of death was determined to be asphyxiation by sand. Their school uniforms, straw hats and shoes were beside them, with each shoe containing a neatly folded sock while their uniforms were folded neatly inside their schoolbags.[4] The community was outraged, with one policeman stating that he wouldn't go home until they caught the killer. The officer slept at the Townsville police station while his wife brought him food and clean clothing. He died of a heart attack two weeks later.[5] Police initially declined to post a reward but after interviewing more than 6,000 men who lived in the area and having no progress in the investigation, posted a reward of $10,000 (2011: $101,500) with an offer of a pardon for any accomplice who came forward.[6]
One witness saw the girls talking to a man in a car at the bus stop at 8:10am.[5] Just after 11am a car pulled into a service station at Ayr, 85 km (53 mi) south of Townsville and the driver bought $3 (around 25 litre/ 5 gll) of petrol. The two girls were in the car and the station attendant, Jean Thwaite, recalled the younger girl saying "Are we there yet?" followed by the older girl asking the driver, "When are you taking us to mummy? You promised to take us to mummy." Not long after, Neil Lunney, a soldier recently returned from Vietnam, spoke to a driver who had cut him off. Lunney stated that he saw two girls in Aitkenvale school uniforms in the vehicle and that the driver appeared to be trying to avoid being seen. The evidence given by the station attendant and Lunney were both rejected as unreliable as, in contrast to all the other witnesses who identified the car as "looking like a Holden", they had both identified the car as a Vauxhall and neither were questioned "in depth". Several witnesses reported the girls being driven around in a car. Two witnesses later reported seeing a man walking towards a car from the direction of the murder scene around 1pm that day.[5][7]
Identification of the vehicle and suspect Edit
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Stanley_Brown
-a few years ago- most haunting horror
I did read that a witness saw that Joanne trying to save Kriste when the creep dragged her away and Joanne tried to stop him.
Just searched the name of him and it seems like the creep alright!
"
Arthur Brown was born in Merinda, Queensland, on 20 May 1912 and moved to Townsville with his parents when he was four. Following the separation of his parents he moved to Melbourne, Victoria with his mother where he remained until he got a drivers licence when he moved back to Townsville and obtained work as a meatpacker. He was exempted from military service in World War II as his job was listed as a Reserved occupation and in 1946 became a maintenance carpenter with the Queensland Department of Public Works where he was known to his workmates as a polite, immaculately dressed man who ironed knife-edge creases in his work uniforms. He was nicknamed The Scarlet Pimpernel based on the verse from the play[1] as he could be anywhere at any time due to flexible work hours and self supervision.
In 1944 Brown married Hester Porter (Née Andersen) following her divorce and became a stepfather to her three children. According to Hester's older sister Milly, Hester later told her that she was afraid of Brown and that she had caught him molesting a child and was trying to prevent him from being alone with children. Hester once gave a female relative the "prized" lacework she'd inherited from her mother saying that she didn't want "his next lady love to get it". When asked whom she meant, Hester had replied "Charlotte, of course". On 15 May 1978 Hester, by now bedridden with arthritis, died after hitting her head in a fall and Hesters younger sister Charlotte, who had five children, moved in with Brown. The couple married later that year. Some members of Hesters family believed Brown had killed Hester. One relative recalled that Brown wasn't grieving the day Hester died but was "shaking with fright" and looked worried. Brown told family members that he had paid for a post-mortem that found the death to be an accident but investigating police found this to be untrue and believe the family doctor had written out a death certificate without examining the body, which Brown had had cremated.[2]
In 1982 another of Hester's sisters told her parents that Brown had molested her while a small girl. After this, many more of the Anderson extended family came forward to say they also had been molested. Following legal advice that taking the matter to court could be traumatic for the victims, the incidents were to be kept a family secret. It was not entirely secret, however, as an entry in Christine Millier's diary dated 23 January 1991 and produced at his trial in 1999 reads: "Kids and I went for walk to Strand. Arthur Brown drove by and the kids called him "rock spider", shouting it out. Eventually they told me what a rock spider was".[3]
Mackay sisters Edit
Five-year-old Susan and seven-year-old Judith MacKay disappeared on the morning of Wednesday, 26 August 1970 from a school bus stop 200 metres (660 ft) from their home in the Townsville suburb of Aitkenvale less than 10 minutes after leaving home. A search for the missing girls was mounted after they failed to return home after school and continued until the girls' bodies were found on Friday in the dry bed of Antill Creek, 25 km (16 mi) south-west of Townsville. Susan was found first and a trail of footprints from her body led searchers 70 metres (230 ft) to where Judith's body lay. It was speculated that Judith had fled while Susan was being killed and had then been run down. A post-mortem revealed that Susan had been raped, strangled and stabbed three times in the chest, possibly after death. Judith had also been raped and stabbed three times in the chest but cause of death was determined to be asphyxiation by sand. Their school uniforms, straw hats and shoes were beside them, with each shoe containing a neatly folded sock while their uniforms were folded neatly inside their schoolbags.[4] The community was outraged, with one policeman stating that he wouldn't go home until they caught the killer. The officer slept at the Townsville police station while his wife brought him food and clean clothing. He died of a heart attack two weeks later.[5] Police initially declined to post a reward but after interviewing more than 6,000 men who lived in the area and having no progress in the investigation, posted a reward of $10,000 (2011: $101,500) with an offer of a pardon for any accomplice who came forward.[6]
One witness saw the girls talking to a man in a car at the bus stop at 8:10am.[5] Just after 11am a car pulled into a service station at Ayr, 85 km (53 mi) south of Townsville and the driver bought $3 (around 25 litre/ 5 gll) of petrol. The two girls were in the car and the station attendant, Jean Thwaite, recalled the younger girl saying "Are we there yet?" followed by the older girl asking the driver, "When are you taking us to mummy? You promised to take us to mummy." Not long after, Neil Lunney, a soldier recently returned from Vietnam, spoke to a driver who had cut him off. Lunney stated that he saw two girls in Aitkenvale school uniforms in the vehicle and that the driver appeared to be trying to avoid being seen. The evidence given by the station attendant and Lunney were both rejected as unreliable as, in contrast to all the other witnesses who identified the car as "looking like a Holden", they had both identified the car as a Vauxhall and neither were questioned "in depth". Several witnesses reported the girls being driven around in a car. Two witnesses later reported seeing a man walking towards a car from the direction of the murder scene around 1pm that day.[5][7]
Identification of the vehicle and suspect Edit
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Stanley_Brown
ilikeclouds
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‘My sister fought so hard to protect Kirste from him’
So good to see these little girls turn up in the news today, so hoping something comes from this ... insert prayer emoji xx
So good to see these little girls turn up in the news today, so hoping something comes from this ... insert prayer emoji xx
Bohemian
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Sister of abducted girl calls for urgent DNA retesting of evidence in long-term missing children cases
Marnie O’Neill, News.com.au
June 24, 2018 9:22am
EXCLUSIVE
‘THE sister of a girl snatched in one of Australia’s most baffling unsolved child abduction cases is calling for all evidence in long-term missing children cases to be urgently retested for DNA.’
No Cookies | The Mercury
Marnie O’Neill, News.com.au
June 24, 2018 9:22am
EXCLUSIVE
‘THE sister of a girl snatched in one of Australia’s most baffling unsolved child abduction cases is calling for all evidence in long-term missing children cases to be urgently retested for DNA.’
No Cookies | The Mercury
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