Australia Australia - Joanne Ratcliffe, 11, & Kirste Gordon, 4, Adelaide, 25 Aug1973

[worldwatcher]

How a hat could be crucial clue to missing girls, 4 & 11, who vanished at footie

THE small handmade clay ashtray in her spare bedroom isn’t much to look at – but for Suzie Ratcliffe it’s one of her most precious possessions. Her sister Joanne had made it at school f…

www.thesun.co.uk

• Bethan King, 16 Jun 2024
• View attachment 510773
• A police sketch of the man believed to have abducted Joanne Ratcliffe and Kirste Gordon
• View attachment 510774
• The police sketch bears a striking resemblance to known paedophile Stanley Arthur Hart, who died in 1999
• ''Determined to keep the case in the public eye Joanne has set up a group called Leave a Light On Inc to share Joanne and Kirste’s story and those of other families of missing persons, so their loved ones aren’t forgotten.''

Interesting,thank you .
The more you read about this perp - the more convinced, I am - he is the sketch person.

Surely ,is has been posted here before, because it a writing from 2015:

“Further investigations by The Advertiser have found Hart, a former army clerk turned part-time butcher, was “assisted” in a move from Adelaide to Yatina in a bid to curb his recidivist paedophile activity, but was still registered as living at a Parkside address when Joanne, 11, and Kirste, 4, disappeared.


It is understood the Parkside address also has never been searched for clues in the case.”


“A number of items — including a butcher’s apron and pants — reportedly belonging to Hart and removed from the Yatina property by a third party before police searches commenced there in 2009 also have been handed to police and are understood to be getting tested to check for clues.”


SBM
https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news...r/news-story/a20c5f0e8db7de5c81c22ff316971a30

 

[Cliff Hardy]

Heard on tonight's news there may be a belated beak through in this case.

Only heard brief mention of blood found in a barrel that needs to be tested overseas. But not even sure how dated the information might be? Haven't been able to find anything online. Apologies if this is a false alarm.

 

[mrC]

what i wonder is did he target them specifically or would any little have done if he target them specifically then why them

 

[Cliff Hardy]

what i wonder is did he target them specifically or would any little have done if he target them specifically then why them

Impossible to be sure. The pair had gone to the toilet together about half an hour earlier as well and perhaps that is what initially bought them to the attention of the perpetrator?

 

[Wizard Of Oz]

Heard on tonight's news there may be a belated beak through in this case.

Only heard brief mention of blood found in a barrel that needs to be tested overseas. But not even sure how dated the information might be? Haven't been able to find anything online. Apologies if this is a false alarm.

This is new samples from the barrels are being sent overseas to be tested by an independent laboratory.
Also pushing for a new inquest into the disappearance of the girls due to new information.
The only living witness who was with the Ratcliffes that day and searched for the girls with both families has done an interview with Bryan Littley that will be televised.

 

[Tweet57]

Heard on tonight's news there may be a belated beak through in this case.

Only heard brief mention of blood found in a barrel that needs to be tested overseas. But not even sure how dated the information might be? Haven't been able to find anything online. Apologies if this is a false alarm.

Here’s hoping! It’s been such a long time…

 

[Cliff Hardy]

This is new samples from the barrels are being sent overseas to be tested by an independent laboratory.
Also pushing for a new inquest into the disappearance of the girls due to new information.
The only living witness who was with the Ratcliffes that day and searched for the girls with both families has done an interview with Bryan Littley that will be televised.

https://www.newsport.com.au/2024/november/editor-makes-moves-for-missing-persons

Bryan Littlely, who has worked for more than a decade on a private investigation of the 1973 abduction of Joanne Ratcliffe, 11, and Kirste Gordon, 4, from an Adelaide Oval football game, is attending the inaugural Missing Australia Network Symposium in Sydney this weekend where he will join Leave A Light On director Suzie Ratcliffe and other presenters in making the push for change.

Families of dozens of missing persons are expected to take part in the Symposium where Mr Littlely and Ms Ratcliffe will also be calling for the reopening of the South Australian inquest into the disappearance of the girls from Adelaide Oval, along with sending material considered of value to their investigations to the United States for specialised testing to determine if it contains traceable DNA and its chemical analysis.

 

[Cliff Hardy]

The blood to be tested was found in barrels on the former property of longtime suspect Stanley Arthur Hart (25 January 1917 – 30 June 1999).

Hart reportedly rarely missed a North Adelaide match and a decade after the abduction he was found to be a child abuser. On the 50th anniversary of the abduction in 2023, Joanne Ratcliffe's sister, Suzie Wilkinson, claimed that "In my heart of hearts, I believe it was Hart who did it."

 

[mrC]

wasnt hart a Rooters fan though and weren't the rooters fans on the other of the stadium to where kirsty and Joane were

 

[worldwatcher]

wasnt hart a Rooters fan though and weren't the rooters fans on the other of the stadium to where kirsty and Joane were

Are there any pictures of that, att?
I think there must have a good oversight... from the other side of the stadium?

 

[Cliff Hardy]

wasnt hart a Rooters fan though and weren't the rooters fans on the other of the stadium to where kirsty and Joane were

I'm Victorian and know how things worked at our games back in the mid 1970s because we went every week, but I'm not firsthand familiar with how things worked in Adelaide.

In the '70s, Victorian suburban grounds like Windy Hill (Essendon) and Western Oval (Footscray) had members areas but the toilet blocks were typically located in the general admission area and members needed to leave the members area to go to the toilet and then present their members passes to get back into the members area.

I have read previously that the Ratcliffes and Gordons had designated seats. So they would likely have been members of their club. But it is possible/likely that Joanne and Kirsty would have had to cross over into the general admission area to get to the toilet.

Stanley Hart, who I believe followed the visiting (away) team, could have been in the general admission area nearby to the toilets and seen the girls go to the toilet the first time they went. When they went again, half an hour later, he might already have had a plan in mind.

For all we know, Hart, a child abuser, could have positioned himself near the toilets at every game he attended.

 

[Cliff Hardy]

seems to be the only real clue the police had Fears held for safety of missing SA girls - The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995) - 27 Aug 1973

From that article :

"Police have received a report of a man dressed as
a female seen during the football near the female
toilets at the southern end of the oval", he said.
"This person is reported as being tall, slim, with a
protruding jaw and large nose, wearing a brown
pant suit, green shirt, brown wig, silver nail
polish, patent leather boots, and handbag".

I could be wrong, but I am guessing the girls had to walk from their designated seats on or towards the wing (side) of the oval to the toilets at the end of the oval.

 

[Cliff Hardy]

Just found this podcast episode devoted to the case. Haven't even had a chance to listen to it yet.

Snatched at the footy | 6

Confronting claims are made about the abduction of two children, Joanne Ratcliffe and Kirste Gordon To unlock bonus content from The Missing, and listen to episodes early and ad free, subscribe to Crime X+ on Apple Podcasts For more on these cases go to themissingaustralia.com.au Click here to...

www.podbean.com

 

[worldwatcher]

Previous witness report - Oval Stadium

"ADELAIDE, Thurs
day. — Police said a
The boy, who was not
named by the police, said
he saw a man in
a broad-brimmed hat
come from behind a tree
and pick up a girl
resembling Kirste and
carry her towards the
southern gates."

"The police said they had
traced the movements of
the man and the two girls
for about 30yd or 40yd
into a public car park out
side the gates, with the
help of information from
various people."
SBM
Boy 'saw man forcing girls' - The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995) - 31 Aug 1973

" Police would now like
to interview a section of
the crowd, which had been
sitting in the far left of the
Sir Edwin Smith Stand
next to the walkway,
where the girls were last
seen."
Police go to oval - The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995) - 3 Sep 1973

The blood to be tested was found in barrels on the former property of longtime suspect Stanley Arthur Hart (25 January 1917 – 30 June 1999).

Hart reportedly rarely missed a North Adelaide match and a decade after the abduction he was found to be a child abuser. On the 50th anniversary of the abduction in 2023, Joanne Ratcliffe's sister, Suzie Wilkinson, claimed that "In my heart of hearts, I believe it was Hart who did it."

2017
"Forty-four years later, Suzie Ratcliffe, the sister of one of the girls who disappeared, is calling for police to re-search wells, to thoroughly investigate barrels and other evidence found on a main suspect’s property."

New leads suggest 44-year-old Adelaide Oval abduction could still be solved
(I hope it's okay to post from WordPress, it is written by a freelance journalist)

So, the evidence and barrels gets tested (again), 7 years later?

 

[Cliff Hardy]

So, the evidence and barrels gets tested (again), 7 years later?

It sounded from what I heard that the families and interested parties 'didn't trust' local testing and that's why they want the samples sent overseas.

 

[Cliff Hardy]

 

[Cliff Hardy]

The Adelaide Oval has obviously changed dramatically since 1973 but the Sir Edwin Smith stand (see diagram above) won't have moved.

These 2 quotes posted above are interesting :

" Police would now like to interview a section of the crowd, which had been sitting in the far left of the Sir Edwin Smith Stand next to the walkway, where the girls were last seen."

"Police said a boy, who was not named by the police, said he saw a man in a broad-brimmed hat come from behind a tree and pick up a girl resembling Kirste and carry her towards the southern gates."

The Sir Edwin Smith and Sir Donald Bradman stands would have already been in place in 1973 but the Chappell stands weren't built until 2003. So perhaps the girls walked from the area of Sir Edwin Smith stand in a southerly direction to a toilet located where the Chappell stands are now located, and the trees were behind that area? This would be consistent with the perpetrator in the hat then carrying a girl "towards the southern gates."

 

[Cliff Hardy]

It is hard to piece together the facts in this case because it happened so long ago.

The various podcasts I have listened to have described the distance from Row L in the Edwin Smith stand, where the families were sitting, to the toilets, as anywhere between 'close by just under the Edwin Smith stand' to '300 metres away.'

Now 300 metres has to be ridiculously wrong. It is only 400 metres completely around the perimeter of the oval.

Researched the grandstands some more and the grandstand in the diagram that I posted above that is now named the Bradman Stand was in 1973 called the John Creswell stand.

 

[Cliff Hardy]

There were trees behind the Cresswell stand and a vehicle was parked between the trees and the back of the stand that had some kittens under it. The girls saw the kittens and went over to get a closer look at them. A man in a wide brimmed hat came from where the trees are and started to talk to them about the kittens and help them try and coax them out from under the car. This was just before 3/4 time in the football match.

At 3/4 time the main gates, having been closed until then to ensure people paid to get in, are opened. This gave the perpetrator the opportunity to leave the ground through the wide opening of the nearest main gate which was located at the Southern end of the ground.

Witnesses saw the perpetrator leaving with the two girls and they were not going willingly, but people put that down to little girls just being naughty.

 

[mrC]

ive allways suspected this was the same man who abducted the beumont kids what do others on the thread think the cases are very simlar and happend in the same city but then agian adliade is big enough to have to people with the same predilictions and modus opriandi