Found Deceased Australia - Russell Hill, 74, & Carol Clay, 72, Wonnangatta Valley, 20 March 2020

[JLZ]

No one has mentioned if his wife ever went on trips with him, or was a member of the radio club.
Either before or after his retirement 2 years ago.

I wonder how many other people knew about Carol and Russell knowing each other and reportedly being teenage sweethearts.
Or about the trips away.

That article indicates that Robyn did go on camping trips.

Over the years, the pair [Mr Ashlin and Russell] had camped together regularly with their wives and other radio club members.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

It sounds like this information came from being friends with Russell.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

That doesn't exactly say that Russell's wife was one of the wives, but i'm sure that's what it was meant to say

Over the years, the pair [Mr Ashlin and Russell] had camped together regularly with their wives and other radio club members.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

On second thought it does say that Russell's wife was there.

Excuse my stupidity today. I either have a migraine or the worst headache. Don't get them very often.

 

[JLZ]

On second thought it does say that Russell's wife was there.

Excuse my stupidity today. I either have a migraine or the worst headache. Don't get them very often.

You feel stupid, but you're not writing stupid.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Ah yes but that's because I keep fixing up my mistakes before I post. Or more likely post, then fix the mistakes.
And now my headache has decided to connect up to my tummy

You feel stupid, but you're not writing stupid.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Where are Russell and Carol? Does anyone know or was it just a horrible accident and they're somewhere not noticed yet.

In my creative writing class, one week the topic was Paddy Moriarty disappearing.
I quite liked the story I wrote about that, I let my imagination go a bit. Yes but I didn't have a headache then

Everybody has to be somewhere so where are all these missing people?

 

[SouthAussie]

So where is Mr Ashlin getting his information from? It's "apparently" about R & C having been more or less together for 20 years, but he claims to know their ancient history and Carol's reason for leaving her husband.

I think he is one of Russell's closest friends. Possibly a confidant of Russell's. And president of their ham radio club.
I do think it is interesting that they always comment that he was the last known person to talk to Russell.

But perhaps he is one of the only ones who really wants this mystery solved, and is willing to speak with the media. I have yet to see any of the other family members - other than Russell's wife - speak with the media, or beg people to help. Keep the profile up. Family have just issued a couple of written statements, as far as I have seen.

Even Russell's wife just sort of seemed to say 'oh well, he's dead by now'. And started clearing out his belongings.


“The complete radio group are at a loss because he’s been friends with all of us and when we catch up of a night time and all that sort of thing, there’s always a bit of camaraderie and stirring and all that that goes on and Russell’s dry sense of humor was always part of that,” Mr Ashlin said.
“I think they’ve been murdered”

 

[TootsieFootsie]

I did think before that they only talked over the radio, ie they were radio friends, til I saw the photo of them camping together.

 

[JLZ]

I think he is one of Russell's closest friends. Possibly a confidant of Russell's. And president of their ham radio club.
I do think it is interesting that they always comment that he was the last known person to talk to Russell.

But perhaps he is one of the only ones who really wants this mystery solved, and is willing to speak with the media. I have yet to see any of the other family members - other than Russell's wife - speak with the media, or beg people to help. Keep the profile up. Family have just issued a couple of written statements, as far as I have seen.

Even Russell's wife just sort of seemed to say 'oh well, he's dead by now'. And started clearing out his belongings.


“The complete radio group are at a loss because he’s been friends with all of us and when we catch up of a night time and all that sort of thing, there’s always a bit of camaraderie and stirring and all that that goes on and Russell’s dry sense of humor was always part of that,” Mr Ashlin said.
“I think they’ve been murdered”

Concern set in on the Sunday night and by the Monday he thought he was "sniffing a bad rat" and advised Robyn to call the police. That sounds like he was more anxious than Russell's wife--although perhaps she was equally anxious and required advice about what to do--and not merely that there had been an accident--"a bad rat" to me says a malicious attack. Did he have reason in advance to fear for Russell and/or Carol?

My reading is that Russell hadn't confided in Mr Ashlin early in the affair or the latter wouldn't have said "apparently" about its length. Also it would have been a bit off for Russell to be confiding like that to someone who went camping with him and his wife and others, when his wife didn't know or didn't admit to knowing about Russell and Carol. Perhaps Robyn has opened up to Mr A since what happened. Perhaps the detail about Carol and her husband and Russell's ambivalence is public gossip and not even true.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

I was nearly going to post that perhaps Russell's wife had confided to Mr Ashlin or his wife about Russell and Carol.

And what happened to the get togethers with them and their wives. Did Russell and his wife still go to them or did he turn up alone after or before he retired
If Russell's wife did go to those meetings I am presuming she thought that they would continue after he retired.
If she did ever used to go away camping just with Russell, would she have been happy about him not taking her, and about the frequency of him going away.
I wonder if she had thought his retirement would mean spending more time together.

didn't admit to knowing about Russell and Carol. Perhaps Robyn has opened up to Mr A since what happened. Perhaps the detail about Carol and her husband and Russell's ambivalence is public

 

[SouthAussie]

Concern set in on the Sunday night and by the Monday he thought he was "sniffing a bad rat" and advised Robyn to call the police. That sounds like he was more anxious than Russell's wife--although perhaps she was equally anxious and required advice about what to do--and not merely that there had been an accident--"a bad rat" to me says a malicious attack. Did he have reason in advance to fear for Russell and/or Carol?

My reading is that Russell hadn't confided in Mr Ashlin early in the affair or the latter wouldn't have said "apparently" about its length. Also it would have been a bit off for Russell to be confiding like that to someone who went camping with him and his wife and others, when his wife didn't know or didn't admit to knowing about Russell and Carol. Perhaps Robyn has opened up to Mr A since what happened. Perhaps the detail about Carol and her husband and Russell's ambivalence is public gossip and not even true.

Possibly. And possibly it is true. We can only go by what is printed in MSM. And if Russell's and Carol's families don't want to speak, then all we have is what we have.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

And yes it may have just been gossip about Carol leaving her husband and/or them being teenage sweethearts.
People can get the wrong end of the stick.

 

[SouthAussie]

I think it is possible that Mr Ashlin knows a lot about Russell, and vice versa. It sounds as though they have been mates for 25 years or so.

So they would have been friends when Russell and Carol became reacquainted. It's very possible that Russell spoke with Mr Ashlin about that ... who else was he going to speak with about it? As it appears to have developed (again) into a deeper friendship/relationship.


Mr Ashlin met Mr Hill when he was working as a logging contractor in Bruthen in the mid 1990s after replacing the windscreen in his bulldozer.
The pair bonded over their interest in amateur radio communications and a friendship was borne.
“I think they’ve been murdered”

 

[TootsieFootsie]

I think so too.

I think it is possible that Mr Ashwin knows a lot about Russell,

 

[JLZ]

Possibly. And possibly it is true. We can only go by what is printed in MSM. And if Russell's and Carol's families don't want to speak, then all we have is what we have.

Yes, my last sentence was an alternative, not a conclusion.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

I wonder if we ever will have a conclusion. They have to be somewhere ?

 

[JLZ]

Everybody has to be somewhere so where are all these missing people?

I was thinking that the other day . . . there's a planet for lost people like for lost biros.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Or my pink hair comb that I had in my hand the other day. I went to pick up something else and the comb turned into a boomerang except it didn't come back, it vanished.
I looked under the queen size bed, I moved it and had a good look, looked under the bedside table,stripped the bed.
I've looked everywhere. It's like it vanished into another dimension.

All joking aside, it has to be somewhere that I haven't looked or maybe hiding in plain sight.

 

[JLZ]

Or my pink hair comb that I had in my hand the other day. I went to pick up something else and the comb turned into a boomerang except it didn't come back, it vanished.
I looked under the queen size bed, I moved it and had a good look, looked under the bedside table,stripped the bed.
I've looked everywhere. It's like it vanished into another dimension.

All joking aside, it has to be somewhere that I haven't looked or maybe hiding in plain sight.

What happened to the other thing? Did you put the comb where the other thing should have gone?

I like finding lost things. I once tracked a relative's contact lenses to being inside the dishwasher. I was delighted with my reasoning that led me there, but they wouldn't hear about it, insisted I'd hid the lenses from malice or something.