Australia Australia - Marion Barter, 51, missing after trip to UK, June 1997 #14

[KateM]

Great find again @Jamaha
That last one is the spitting image of his son.

Where did you see a photo of his son?

 

[BonnieB]

Can someone tell me exactly what happened with Marion's RACQ membership?

It was RACQ insurance (not membership) for the car MB left with Sally to sell. It was cancelled on 7/8/97, presumably by phone.

 

[KateM]

It was RACQ insurance (not membership) for the car MB left with Sally to sell. It was cancelled on 7/8/97, presumably by phone.

Thank you for that. It would be interesting to know when the insurance was due to expire? Everything seemed to happen around the same dates...

 

[KateM]

Just keep it simple. MB met RB. (May have thought he was FN Remakle). For whatever reason MB who is totally sucked in keeps the relationship a secret from family and friends. She is persuaded to change her name to match his international drivers licence so she can use it as a form of ID to get passport in a hurry. Brings forward her resignation so she can be overseas same time as him and or he needs to get her out of Aussie ASAP before family can interfere. Not able to travel together as she would discover he has passport in a different name. MB returns to Aussie putting things in place so that family think she is still in UK. Takes longer to sort out bank than anticipated. In meantime tidies up a few things like cancelling car insurance and getting an eye check. Notices that Sally has not put car money in bank as agreed. RB also returns to Aussie a couple of days later and buys a car for her to use? Then something unexpected happens and she does not return overseas as planned. There is no doubt that RB and MB did meet up in England and when she returned to Aussie. RB is well aware of her fate. The car that was disposed off is an interesting twist. He is not as smart as he thinks he is.

In regards to Marion noticing that Sally hadn't put the money into her account re the sale of the car, that's fairly good evidence that Marion did in fact return to Australia, is it not?

 

[Liselle]

Something about this name and fraud! What is it about connections - don't name your kid Freddy David

£14million conman Freddy David out of jail after serving half six-year sentence

Wouldn’t a DNA test on both this "investment banker" and our POI be interesting!!?? Could this be our POI's "Belgian accountant" who invested money in "metallurgical shares"?? Soooo very interesting! AND …..a meat restaurant….lol.

 

[gymtonic]

Yes I know that swiping didn’t exist.. Lol
RSVP is not free and I doubt he would pay a subscription.

FYI RSVP was free initially (late 1997 into 2000s at least - can't speak for now) unless you wanted to buy "stamps" to contact people. He could search and find matches and then maybe weigh up the cost/ benefit of buying a stamp (or 5) to make contact. I didn't make the suggestion in terms of MB because it only started in 1997 and wasn't widely used in Oz until after that date. I was thinking more of whether LE can access records for activity after that if they were to mount a case outside of the MB disappearance. Also, there was another online dating site that was set up for an older crowd too...forget the name...Harmony something?

 

[Liselle]

That bashing in the Pacific Fair car park, looks like he needed to hide something from his wife. She must have known about that particular amount of money

I still don't know who much money it was ? 50K Aus (?) I got totally lost with his conversions lol, why travel to Pacific Fair to exchange the money the was the same company with branches closer to his home.

It wouldn’t surprise me if this money belonged to another victim who became wise to his scam and met up with him accompanied by a "heavyweight" who beat the money out of him!

 

[KateM]

FYI RSVP was free initially (late 1997 into 2000s at least - can't speak for now) unless you wanted to buy "stamps" to contact people. He could search and find matches and then maybe weigh up the cost/ benefit of buying a stamp (or 5) to make contact. I didn't make the suggestion in terms of MB because it only started in 1997 and wasn't widely used in Oz until after that date. I was thinking more of whether LE can access records for activity after that if they were to mount a case outside of the MB disappearance. Also, there was another online dating site that was set up for an older crowd too...forget the name...Harmony something?

It's because of men like RB, that many women won't use online dating!

 

[Meligator]

I think I’ve said this before but I really think the Aug 7 postcard is dated July 7…it just has all the same markings as the postcard dated July 7. The Jul part is hard to see so could be so light on the other one that it looked like Aug

 

[brjakj]

I think I’ve said this before but I really think the Aug 7 postcard is dated July 7…it just has all the same markings as the postcard dated July 7. The Jul part is hard to see so could be so light on the other one that it looked like Aug

Interesting that she wrote to someone in double bay, close to where the walkers lived (eastern suburbs Sydney).

it’s hard to tel about the dates. I can’t see a month on the second one. But agree the rest of the stamp looks similar.

it’s also made me realise that the remakel signature on the in and out going passenger cards looks similar to the script on the first postcard.

 

[gymtonic]

The other thing is how do we actually know what was written in the postcards is truth. When there was not a lot of truth from Marion prior to leaving. Shopping til you drop makes no sense when you have had to leave luggage behind from having too much stuff

I've had a think about this but how much of what Marion did before leaving was omitting to reveal information rather than "actively" telling a lie? So, not telling people you are in a relationship with a man, not revealing details of it and not telling someone you've changed your name is not being open, and even saying "mind your own business" when asked who someone was, covering up why you don't want to get a lift to the airport...all these sorts of things.... is not being an open book, it is secretive and not MB's usual behaviour, but it's of a different scale to actively and deliberately writing or telling absolute lies. People with morals can see a difference between being a bit evasive verbally, omitting to tell something and telling outright porkers! When I read the postcards and hear about the reported content of the phone calls, I feel that MB is not writing fiction and is reporting what she is doing and is telling SL the truth on the phone. I'm not saying that nothing else is going on that she is omitting or being evasive about, but I feel that MB - not accustomed to telling lies or writing falsehoods - would probably chose to not write any postcards at all or not make phone calls, rather than write a whole lot of fictional postcards. Of course I don't know her personally so I am making an assessment of her character from what SL and her friends and family say. The alternative that has been proposed is that AKA is coercing her to write the postcards and what to say but I can't see what advantage that has for him. He would find it much easier all around for MB not to be writing any postcards (in case she slipped up) and even (if she was being coerced) saying "don't write to anyone". My gut feeling is that IF MB is writing fiction on all the postcards, that is a very difficult thing to do for an unpracticed liar and causes much internal stress. The postcards on the other hand reflect someone who is starting to relax and enjoy the break and pottering around. I feel there are clues to be unravelled e.g. linking Amsterdam with going on the OE (which is not on its route) and why the OE trip was postponed to a later time that can in hindsight seem sketchy and evasive, but nothing overt. IMO MOO

 

[gymtonic]

Can someone tell me exactly what happened with Marion's RACQ membership?

Here's an extended post I wrote earlier when it was discussed that. might help:
Australia - Marion Barter, 51, missing after trip to UK, June 1997 #11

 

[KateM]

Here's an extended post I wrote earlier when it was discussed that. might help:
Australia - Marion Barter, 51, missing after trip to UK, June 1997 #11

Thank you so much.

 

[KateM]

Here's an extended post I wrote earlier when it was discussed that. might help:
Australia - Marion Barter, 51, missing after trip to UK, June 1997 #11

If Sally had sold the car prior to the 7th August, then it made perfect sense for Marion to have cancelled the insurance.

 

[Deleted member 249471]

I think I’ve said this before but I really think the Aug 7 postcard is dated July 7…it just has all the same markings as the postcard dated July 7. The Jul part is hard to see so could be so light on the other one that it looked like Aug

The address in both these cards match her two passenger cards, particularly:
L
Q
R
2
Australia (first A is triangular but the rest are square)

IMO

 

[gymtonic]

I think I’ve said this before but I really think the Aug 7 postcard is dated July 7…it just has all the same markings as the postcard dated July 7. The Jul part is hard to see so could be so light on the other one that it looked like Aug

From my notes (but no image)...This is the text I have for the Postcard August 7 (not those attached to your post which I do have as postmarked 7 July)

The strand, Winchelsea postcard sent from Tunbridge Wells 7 August 1997

Sister dear “Hi” hope you and the family are well. I’m having a ball. England is so beautiful and so much to see,do, explore, learn, eat and op shops galore. I say to myself, where’s Leep? Good bargains too. It's sad because I can’t possibly buy one more thing. Talk about shop till you drop. I’m totally in my element. Beautiful gardens, weather’s been fine, Wearing shorts. Delayed my Orient trip till late August, first available rebooking due to earlier rain and floods in Germany. I don’t want to leave The UK just yet. Heaps of private schools. Could’ve had a job at a local village school, relief but not ready yet. Lovely families in old oast houses I’ve stayed with and b&bs. Met a Dutch dentist and a lady called Maz. Love you heaps M *advertiser censored* *advertiser censored*

Was it you @Lord Peter Flimsy that posted this text and the postcard image previously?

 

[gymtonic]

The address in both these cards match her two passenger cards, particularly:
L
Q
R
2
Australia (first A is triangular but the rest are square)

IMO

Having refreshed myself with the postcards (and there is also a letter envelope that has the words AIR MAIL in capitals), the passenger card capitals look the same, I agree.

 

[JayJayJay]

A lot of WC's (toilet in dutch,suits him imo) schoolpictures. I've been looking if i see a resemblance, but it's difficult with so little pictures of him.
I, for myself, thought it wasn't him, cause then he would have been to school in dutch... But anything is possible! They could try asking him something in dutch

Some Belgians speak Dutch and French.

 

[mishy66]

Wouldn’t a DNA test on both this "investment banker" and our POI be interesting!!?? Could this be our POI's "Belgian accountant" who invested money in "metallurgical shares"?? Soooo very interesting! AND …..a meat restaurant….lol.

All about the Ponzi I reckon

 

[mishy66]

It wouldn’t surprise me if this money belonged to another victim who became wise to his scam and met up with him accompanied by a "heavyweight" who beat the money out of him!

Or money laundering at Jupiter's