Australia Australia - Marion Barter - Missing After Trip to UK - June 1997 #18

[gymtonic]

I can’t stop wondering about Burwash. Access to the Channel ferries and Belgium and France? But Burwash is extra tucked away (unlike RTW for example which is at the highway crossroads) and not all that close to the coastal departure spots aside from Eastbourne (which as far as I can tell didn’t have a ferry that went to Europe in the 1980s).

Were they just kind of in hiding cos it all got too hot in EU? the parts of Burwash near their home were very quiet and secluded when I was there in 2010.

Trying to go straight? Or a really good cover for wtf he was stashing all around that part of the country and still snaffling out in the late 1990s?

That area of the UK was home to many luxury homes of well known organised crime figures in the 70s, 80s and 90s (and according to friends in that area still is!) …just sayin’! E.g. Clifford Norris arrested at an Oast House Cottage near Burwash in 1994. Had been on the run suspected to have hidden out in Australia.

 

[gymtonic]

February 1997

BLANQUEFORT, France. MICHELE
39 ans, 1 m60, libre sans enfants, bien
physiquement, sérieuse, souhaite
rencontrer gentleman 39-50 ans, libre,
affectueux, sincère, situation stable,
pour une conclusion heureuse: amour
sécurité et plus si affinités. Sydney et
Gold Coast seulement. Photos
appréciées. Pas sérieux s'abstenir.
ANNONCES
Ecrire à Michèle CHEMINON, P.O.
Box 394, RANDWICK, NSW 2031

Advertising - Le Courrier Australien (Sydney, NSW : 1892 - 2011) - 10 Feb 1997

trove.nla.gov.au

loosely translated:
BLANQUEFORT, France. MICHEL
39 years old, 1.60m, free without children, good
physically, serious, wishes
meet gentleman 39-50 years old, free,
affectionate, sincere, stable situation,
for a love
security and more if affinities. Sydney and
Gold Coast only. Pictures
appreciated. Not serious refrain.
ADVERTISEMENT
Write to Michèle CHEMINON, P.O.
Box 394, RANDWICK, NSW 2031


Is this something that has been found before?

The month and year is the same timeframe as MB FB Page is suggesting AH and MB met


Could this be a friend of Marions posting an ad and Marion ends up meeting him instead?? It is kind of weird that is has Gold Coast to Sydney and is 1997 with a Sydney Post Box

Blanquefort is in the Bordeaux region and there is still that unknown period of time (and purpose) that AKA was supposedly in Bordeaux. My notes say it was mentioned at the inquest and it was for a few months in the 1980s though. I found that there was a Lauzon former Governor of Bordeaux (Lauzoney??) and a well known crime ring in the area stealing expensive wine at one point, but not much has been mentioned about this Bordeaux period. Not saying it’s connected and that’s about all I know.

 

[gymtonic]

February 1997

BLANQUEFORT, France. MICHELE
39 ans, 1 m60, libre sans enfants, bien
physiquement, sérieuse, souhaite
rencontrer gentleman 39-50 ans, libre,
affectueux, sincère, situation stable,
pour une conclusion heureuse: amour
sécurité et plus si affinités. Sydney et
Gold Coast seulement. Photos
appréciées. Pas sérieux s'abstenir.
ANNONCES
Ecrire à Michèle CHEMINON, P.O.
Box 394, RANDWICK, NSW 2031

Advertising - Le Courrier Australien (Sydney, NSW : 1892 - 2011) - 10 Feb 1997

trove.nla.gov.au

loosely translated:
BLANQUEFORT, France. MICHEL
39 years old, 1.60m, free without children, good
physically, serious, wishes
meet gentleman 39-50 years old, free,
affectionate, sincere, stable situation,
for a love
security and more if affinities. Sydney and
Gold Coast only. Pictures
appreciated. Not serious refrain.
ADVERTISEMENT
Write to Michèle CHEMINON, P.O.
Box 394, RANDWICK, NSW 2031


Is this something that has been found before?

The month and year is the same timeframe as MB FB Page is suggesting AH and MB met


Could this be a friend of Marions posting an ad and Marion ends up meeting him instead?? It is kind of weird that is has Gold Coast to Sydney and is 1997 with a Sydney Post Box

Actually…on reflection and looking at the original advert itself. I think the BLANQUEFORT (in caps) belongs to the advert above it and is the location of that poster. My reasoning is that the previous advert has a postal code beginning with 33 which is the Bordeaux region and that’s where I used to be (in Blanquefort So I am familiar with the area).

So, by extension, CHEMINON is the location of the poster in this add. It rang a bell as a place closer to the French /Belgian border rather than a surname. IMO the person posting the advert is Michèle located in CHEMINON but using an Australian PO Box for replies. So probably not initials MC. It could also be a French surname so this is IMO

 

[Liselle]

There are many personal advertisements in the "Australian Jewish News" (paper on Trove) for the years 1990's and early 2000's in a column titled "Perfect Match". With AKA's possible Jewish ancestry, this has produced some interesting and similar results to Le Courrier Australien.

 

[gymtonic]

From MB FB post:

« Today, Thursday 22nd May 1997, Marion collects her brand new passport in the name Florabella Remakel from the Brisbane Passport Office.

The processed application states in the comments section that she is planning to travel to "Japan/Europe on the 23rd of June, 1997". Noting that she actually leaves the day prior, the 22nd June, 1997 and flies out to South Korea, not directly to Japan.

We do assume that this passport was requested under the "priority processing" arrangement, as it was ready for Marion in 48 hours from the time of submitting the documents. Why leave this name change process so late in the piece, when Marion had said to family members what she was planning an overseas trip as early as February - March, 1997 ? This change of identity appears to be a last minute decision, as Marion had a near new passport in the name Marion Barter which she got in July 1996, expiring July 2006 that she could have travelled on.«

A couple of comments and musings:
(1) Here is MB once again apparently making the trip to Brisbane on a weekday/ school day and the week after the previous 2 trips. Questions have been asked about whether it was MB who collected the passport as AKA was known to have collected a previous passport for JO. I’m still wondering how long personnel records are kept in the AISQ system for checking.

(2) I know I have posted about this before but I wonder if the original MB passport was kept (under some pretence) instead of being surrendered as required and was useful for some other means to get other documents « after disappearance ». OLD passport are required to be surrendered but we know that AKA a for example has « lost« passports previously and applied for new ones (I don’t believe for one moment that he lost them and has IMO used previous ones to secure ID for other documents). Maybe MB was persuaded to do the same. Maybe the last minute change was influenced by AKA « gaming » the system? Quick turnaround = less checking. Maybe MB requested to keep 2 passports because of last minute change of name? Or also just said she had lost it? I was looking carefully at the inquest to see if the box about surrendering existing passport had been ticked, but couldn’t tell. I would just like to know what happened to the original passport.

 

[CuriousKat99]

From MB FB post:

« Today, Thursday 22nd May 1997, Marion collects her brand new passport in the name Florabella Remakel from the Brisbane Passport Office.

The processed application states in the comments section that she is planning to travel to "Japan/Europe on the 23rd of June, 1997". Noting that she actually leaves the day prior, the 22nd June, 1997 and flies out to South Korea, not directly to Japan.

We do assume that this passport was requested under the "priority processing" arrangement, as it was ready for Marion in 48 hours from the time of submitting the documents. Why leave this name change process so late in the piece, when Marion had said to family members what she was planning an overseas trip as early as February - March, 1997 ? This change of identity appears to be a last minute decision, as Marion had a near new passport in the name Marion Barter which she got in July 1996, expiring July 2006 that she could have travelled on.«

A couple of comments and musings:
(1) Here is MB once again apparently making the trip to Brisbane on a weekday/ school day and the week after the previous 2 trips. Questions have been asked about whether it was MB who collected the passport as AKA was known to have collected a previous passport for JO. I’m still wondering how long personnel records are kept in the AISQ system for checking.

(2) I know I have posted about this before but I wonder if the original MB passport was kept (under some pretence) instead of being surrendered as required and was useful for some other means to get other documents « after disappearance ». OLD passport are required to be surrendered but we know that AKA a for example has « lost« passports previously and applied for new ones (I don’t believe for one moment that he lost them and has IMO used previous ones to secure ID for other documents). Maybe MB was persuaded to do the same. Maybe the last minute change was influenced by AKA « gaming » the system? Quick turnaround = less checking. Maybe MB requested to keep 2 passports because of last minute change of name? Or also just said she had lost it? I was looking carefully at the inquest to see if the box about surrendering existing passport had been ticked, but couldn’t tell. I would just like to know what happened to the original passport.

When I applied for a new Australian passport in 2017, I couldn’t find my old expired passport. I think I just had to sign a stat dec to get a new passport. The old passport eventually turned up a couple of years later after a big cleanup but I can see how easy it would have been for Marion, or someone else, to keep the Marion Barter passport and use it for an ID in say a bank where they probably don’t verify with immigration re the validity.

 

[mishy66]

Actually…on reflection and looking at the original advert itself. I think the BLANQUEFORT (in caps) belongs to the advert above it and is the location of that poster. My reasoning is that the previous advert has a postal code beginning with 33 which is the Bordeaux region and that’s where I used to be (in Blanquefort So I am familiar with the area).

So, by extension, CHEMINON is the location of the poster in this add. It rang a bell as a place closer to the French /Belgian border rather than a surname. IMO the person posting the advert is Michèle located in CHEMINON but using an Australian PO Box for replies. So probably not initials MC. It could also be a French surname so this is IMO

That makes complete sense looking at the advert again.

So now we have a french woman from Cheminon, placing an advert in Feb 1997 with an Australian PO Box for reply. Perhaps Le Courrier PO BOX?

That is very odd in itself. Is she coming out to Australia for a holiday? Did she live here briefly? Is there a connection to this ad and that of AH ad ?

It is the Feb 1997 that has me hooked on this.

 

[mishy66]

When I applied for a new Australian passport in 2017, I couldn’t find my old expired passport. I think I just had to sign a stat dec to get a new passport. The old passport eventually turned up a couple of years later after a big cleanup but I can see how easy it would have been for Marion, or someone else, to keep the Marion Barter passport and use it for an ID in say a bank where they probably don’t verify with immigration re the validity.

Totally

 

[gymtonic]

That makes complete sense looking at the advert again.

So now we have a french woman from Cheminon, placing an advert in Feb 1997 with an Australian PO Box for reply. Perhaps Le Courrier PO BOX?

That is very odd in itself. Is she coming out to Australia for a holiday? Did she live here briefly? Is there a connection to this ad and that of AH ad ?

It is the Feb 1997 that has me hooked on this.

I would guess that probably a lot of people advertising from outside Australia would use a local PO Box (could be Le Courrier’s PO Box) for replies to provide an intermediary to filter out direct contact. But you’re right the very specific location request of Sydney or GC suggests some previous knowledge or connection In those places. Maybe trying to track down AKA from a previous encounter? LOL LOL

 

[mishy66]

There are many personal advertisements in the "Australian Jewish News" (paper on Trove) for the years 1990's and early 2000's in a column titled "Perfect Match". With AKA's possible Jewish ancestry, this has produced some interesting and similar results to Le Courrier Australien.

Yes !!!!!!

Then the Newspapers started reporting the stories and said he was Catholic on both sides.....and that his real name was
W. Wouters, the son of antique dealers, and grew up in a wealthy family, with two half-brothers who also bear the surname David.
Disappointing that stories like this only add to the confusion.

Then it was announced in the Australian papers his real name is actually Willy Coppenolle - as many of us knew - and that Marias first husband was Catholic and the step father Wouters died in 1989.


I still believe, like @Lord Peter Flimsy says, he is Jewish
Possibly had a Jewish mother, placed into the Coppenolle family at some point for whatever reason. But I dont believe for a minute MC was his mother.

Maria was a seamstress, her invalid War father a market gardener, her mother from a wealthy chocolatier family.

All adding another layer of complexities to a case that is already as murky as mud

 

[riddlesandpuzzles77]

Just want to say a real thank you to all the websleuths here what has been discovered by you guys has really helped Marion’s case so much!
I have always read all the amazing research and finds helping toward hopefully uncovering marions story and hopefully finding her too, as my offerings are just memories of living and travelling Ballina-Brisbane areas in the 1990s-2000......so again thank you everyone

 

[mishy66]

There are many personal advertisements in the "Australian Jewish News" (paper on Trove) for the years 1990's and early 2000's in a column titled "Perfect Match". With AKA's possible Jewish ancestry, this has produced some interesting and similar results to Le Courrier Australien.

Somewhere between him placing the 1994 advert and then meeting Marion in 1997, he MUST have met many women.... 3 years in between - WHO and WHERE are they.....If you look at the timeline of the women we know of ( including his cousins wife) he is a swift player, no time messing around. Months only. 3 years - That is a LOT of time and a LOT of women.

And DdeH asks no questions???

What are the police doing about all this!

Perjury for both of them!!!!

 

[Mrs_Vee]

From MB FB post:

« Today, Thursday 22nd May 1997, Marion collects her brand new passport in the name Florabella Remakel from the Brisbane Passport Office.

The processed application states in the comments section that she is planning to travel to "Japan/Europe on the 23rd of June, 1997". Noting that she actually leaves the day prior, the 22nd June, 1997 and flies out to South Korea, not directly to Japan.

We do assume that this passport was requested under the "priority processing" arrangement, as it was ready for Marion in 48 hours from the time of submitting the documents. Why leave this name change process so late in the piece, when Marion had said to family members what she was planning an overseas trip as early as February - March, 1997 ? This change of identity appears to be a last minute decision, as Marion had a near new passport in the name Marion Barter which she got in July 1996, expiring July 2006 that she could have travelled on.«

A couple of comments and musings:
(1) Here is MB once again apparently making the trip to Brisbane on a weekday/ school day and the week after the previous 2 trips. Questions have been asked about whether it was MB who collected the passport as AKA was known to have collected a previous passport for JO. I’m still wondering how long personnel records are kept in the AISQ system for checking.

(2) I know I have posted about this before but I wonder if the original MB passport was kept (under some pretence) instead of being surrendered as required and was useful for some other means to get other documents « after disappearance ». OLD passport are required to be surrendered but we know that AKA a for example has « lost« passports previously and applied for new ones (I don’t believe for one moment that he lost them and has IMO used previous ones to secure ID for other documents). Maybe MB was persuaded to do the same. Maybe the last minute change was influenced by AKA « gaming » the system? Quick turnaround = less checking. Maybe MB requested to keep 2 passports because of last minute change of name? Or also just said she had lost it? I was looking carefully at the inquest to see if the box about surrendering existing passport had been ticked, but couldn’t tell. I would just like to know what happened to the original passport.

I agree 100%

 

[Mrs_Vee]

Just want to say a real thank you to all the websleuths here what has been discovered by you guys has really helped Marion’s case so much!
I have always read all the amazing research and finds helping toward hopefully uncovering marions story and hopefully finding her too, as my offerings are just memories of living and travelling Ballina-Brisbane areas in the 1990s-2000......so again thank you everyone

Hear, hear

 

[Lord Peter Flimsy]

Somewhere between him placing the 1994 advert and then meeting Marion in 1997, he MUST have met many women.... 3 years in between - WHO and WHERE are they.....If you look at the timeline of the women we know of ( including his cousins wife) he is a swift player, no time messing around. Months only. 3 years - That is a LOT of time and a LOT of women.

And DdeH asks no questions???

What are the police doing about all this!

Perjury for both of them!!!!

When questioned about her having full knowledge of her husbands previous crimes and fraud, and did she have any suspicion over his subsequent changes of name in Australia her answer was,

“I didn’t really expect any problems anymore” and I didn’t expect him to be doing anything bad again”

Grade A BS.

You do have to laugh when asked “when was the first time you learned he had changed his name” her answer is “which one?”

 

[Lord Peter Flimsy]

Who thinks whilst living with the family in Burwash East Sussex for 3 years that AKA was an upstanding pillar of society for that period of time while his wife drove round the secluded country lanes speaking English, or like me that this was a rural bolt-hole away from his undetected criminal activity on mainland Europe?

 

[Mrs_Vee]

When questioned about her having full knowledge of her husbands previous crimes and fraud, and did she have any suspicion over his subsequent changes of name in Australia her answer was,

“I didn’t really expect any problems anymore” and I didn’t expect him to be doing anything bad again”

Grade A BS.

You do have to laugh when asked “when was the first time you learned he had changed his name” her answer is “which one?”

LMFAO

 

[mishy66]

Who thinks whilst living with the family in Burwash East Sussex for 3 years that AKA was an upstanding pillar of society for that period of time while his wife drove round the secluded country lanes speaking English, or like me that this was a rural bolt-hole away from his undetected criminal activity on mainland Europe?

Bolt hole for both of them

She knew exactly what he was doing and lived the life she wanted because of it.

 

[gymtonic]

I haven’t had the time until now to devote to a French search of Le Courrier but I wonder how early AKA was using Le Courrier Australien? I did a search and scan of Petites Annonces. There are a few that others have noted in the 90s that could even be AKA but with no details to chase, but this one drew my attention from 10 July 1981. I searched the forum but couldn’t find it mentioned here before. It is around the time when Immigration was clued up to, but had lost track of, AKA. Plus his movements around this time are uncertain and seemingly frequent between Australia and EU.

It is just the sort of « target » that IMO would attract AKA, translating as (paraphrased):
Belgian Widow, Executive, French speaking, 49 years old, likes simple, basic, solitary life, very independent, seeking single sponsor to help advise and navigate immigration to Australia. Write: Madame Y Dubois, 45 Rue Galliéni, 77100 Nanteuil, France

Interestingly the surname Dubois crops up again with Ghislain Dubois- Danlois in 2000…but this advert is from 1981. I wonder if this Mme Y Dubois has been followed up?

 

[mishy66]

I was reading about old salt Rene Rivkin again today. For those that havent heard of him, he was a Chinese-born Australian entrepreneur, investor, investment adviser and stockbroker. Born in 1944 in what was then Japanese -occupied China to Russian Jewish parents.
He was convicted of insider trading in 2003 and died in 2005.

The Aussies here might remember the 1993 fire that destroyed a Sydney printing plant owned by the company Offset Alpine Printing Ltd. Old Rivkin was a shonky businessman who also had connections to Politicians and power players - so he was pretty much untouchable - just like someone else we know.
He was the Chairman and main investor of Offset Alpine which had been insured at replacement value ($53.2 million) way above the purchase price and the share prices skyrocketed. The fire was blamed on a staff barbecue, but suspicions of arson have persisted all these years. He owned so many businesses and stockbroking firms.
After he died a global investigation was launched to ascertain the location of funds associated with his estate.
Investigations found he had been trading in secret through complex offshore dealings, despite being banned, and led to the ATO claiming A$18 million in unpaid taxes and penalties.
A Swiss bank refused to disclose the details of Rivkin's financial records and the Swiss authorities refused to take action against the bank. An amount of $A11 million that was held in Swiss bank accounts remains outstanding upon the closure of the investigation in April 2013.

These people know the way to hidden coin.

Rivkin had many associates and business partners, two of which are really interesting to me atm in relation to this case,
one man was named Ken Hawkins and the other is Richard Vereker. (In 1993 Vereker owned a Sydney meat production business Trendall Pty Ltd).... Anyone heard of them......???