Australia Australia - Marion Barter, 51, missing after trip to UK, Jun 1997 #5

[vivienbee]

Lesley Loveday said she opened one letter.
So I don't think she could have known for certain what was in the other mail. She didn't say that she then opened the others.

No, there's no way that she would have known for certain what was in the mail. I just assumed from her phrasing that they were all similar in nature (you can usually tell the company sending stuff just from the envelopes etc.) and that if the one she opened had a cheque inside then perhaps there were more. Just speculation. If they were from TSS then it could have been other paperwork and a cheque and that just so happened to be the one that she opened. If she returned to sender, as you say, it would be impossible to know now.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

She could have been the Maz!

The met-a-Dutch-dentist story could be Marion covering herself in case it got back that she'd been seen with a man. Whereas the man was with her all along.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

DBM

 

[Lord Peter Flimsy]

I’m still mystified if Lesley L wasn’t pressed further at the inquest as to who this mystery guy was that was staying with Marion next door to her. She can’t seriously be telling us that she never saw him once enter or leave the house. A lady on her own not twitching the curtains once or twice? This guy is a serious person of interest. Is the secrecy for other reasons other than being a possible married man who would be taking a hell of risk leaving his car outside Marion’s numerous times.

 

[KiwiNZ]

I’m still mystified if Lesley L wasn’t pressed further at the inquest as to who this mystery guy was that was staying with Marion next door to her. She can’t seriously be telling us that she never saw him once enter or leave the house. A lady on her own not twitching the curtains once or twice? This guy is a serious person of interest. Is the secrecy for other reasons other than being a possible married man who would be taking a hell of risk leaving his car outside Marion’s numerous times.

I think it was a few years before she left because she was with Greg for 2 or 3 years after the "mystery" man that Lesley refers to. I also think the married man was from another state so if it was him he maybe not be so worried about his car been seen , to far from home. ??

 

[Lord Peter Flimsy]

It could of course be Mr R during the period the ad appeared?

 

[KiwiNZ]

It could of course be Mr R during the period the ad appeared?

very true - good thinking

 

[TootsieFootsie]

It seems that will be the last of the podcasts for awhile or at least, that was the implication.

 

[Itsapuzzle]

It could of course be Mr R during the period the ad appeared?

In November 1993 Marion rented a home next door to Lesley in Patura Drive, Ashmore. In January 1994 she purchased the home at 15 Merinda Court, Ashmore. The ad for Mr Remakel appeared in December 1994 so it can’t have been him at that point. MOO

 

[PhilOlivettifan]

I’m still mystified if Lesley L wasn’t pressed further at the inquest as to who this mystery guy was that was staying with Marion next door to her. She can’t seriously be telling us that she never saw him once enter or leave the house. A lady on her own not twitching the curtains once or twice? This guy is a serious person of interest. Is the secrecy for other reasons other than being a possible married man who would be taking a hell of risk leaving his car outside Marion’s numerous times.

We already know Marion was in a relationship with a married man and he moved to Queensland with her, coming and going, but the relationship petered out. This seems to be consistent with the situation LL witnessed and is no mystery. I don't think he should be regarded as a serious person of interest because this all took place a few years before her disappearance, and well before things soured at TSS.

 

[PhilOlivettifan]

Is it just me or has this inquest been a nothing burger so far? We've learned a few things, sure, but as Sally says in her wrap up interview in Part 6, it has confirmed things we already have a good idea about and not much of anything new has come up - not even a more plausable theory as to what happened.

It seems quite surprising we are at this point, even with Covid. The podcast began in 2019 and here we are still to get airline manifests, still to wrestle the Luxembourg/Remakel link to the ground, still to find Marion's stored items. These are the parts of the story that nobody else but the police can realistically hope to investigate and are critical. It seems on the outside that the police have just been dealing with the low hanging fruit. I hope I am wrong.

The 5 days in Feb 2022 really need to be packed solid with the above information, or the reward having shaken down some solid leads by then.

Fingers crossed for Sally and her family.

 

[Lord Peter Flimsy]

We already know Marion was in a relationship with a married man and he moved to Queensland with her, coming and going, but the relationship petered out. This seems to be consistent with the situation LL witnessed and is no mystery. I don't think he should be regarded as a serious person of interest because this all took place a few years before her disappearance, and well before things soured at TSS.

Do we know the identity of the ‘married’ man? Was Lesley L asked to provide any information about him? If we all know him than I agree he isn’t a mystery man.

 

[Lord Peter Flimsy]

In November 1993 Marion rented a home next door to Lesley in Patura Drive, Ashmore. In January 1994 she purchased the home at 15 Merinda Court, Ashmore. The ad for Mr Remakel appeared in December 1994 so it can’t have been him at that point. MOO

In November 1993

Did she move in during Jan 94 or merely purchased it? Had she already started to visit the Arts Centre by then? I apologise that my geography around these places isn’t great. For what’s it worth I don’t think the ad was ever seen by Marion. I think it was a fishing exercise and one that is likely to spectacularly backfire decades later.

 

[SaintGertrude]

There was mention of Marion attending a wedding in Byron Bay before her departure and not wanting Greg Edwards to attend. Do we know anything about this wedding. I thought she didn't know anyone in Byron Bay apart from a relative who had moved away.

 

[SaintGertrude]

Do you have the postcard that mentions red squirrels, I can't find that one, only the "rabbits and squirrels" one. Good sleuthing about the different squirrels in different areas, I would have no idea about that. Oooh, sounds interesting about the Windemere mention .... will listen again, totally missed that. Thanks Gertie

I know that it was in one of the earlier postcards not the one quoted in the more recent podcasts where she just mentioned the word squirrels. There was a mention of red squirrels which I found strange at the time of reading as there are only red squirrels in certain locations. If anyone can find the postcards all in one place I will have a read through again to find the quote. This would indeed mean that she may have gone to visit the school in Windemere.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

No she wanted him to attend, but he said he didn't want to go.

More about Greg and the wedding in this earlier thread.

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

There was mention of Marion attending a wedding in Byron Bay before her departure and not wanting Greg Edwards to attend. Do we know anything about this wedding. I thought she didn't know anyone in Byron Bay apart from a relative who had moved away.

 

[SaintGertrude]

I wondered that as well, I went back through the letters / postcards but couldn't see a reference to her saying "thank you for doing that for me, your a good Daughter" - I assume Sally was saying this was stated in the last call, and maybe as a response to Sally saying she had returned the scales ?

If it is in a letter it would mean someone had contact with Marion for her to know this, as there was only the 1 phone call and no contact after this.

It was definitely in one of the postcards possibly an earlier one as I only read that the other day.

 

[SaintGertrude]

She could have been the Maz!

I just chatted to a friend in Brighton and he distinctly remembers a European taxi driver calling himself Mazz so a male name as well.

 

[Itsapuzzle]

I know that it was in one of the earlier postcards not the one quoted in the more recent podcasts where she just mentioned the word squirrels. There was a mention of red squirrels which I found strange at the time of reading as there are only red squirrels in certain locations. If anyone can find the postcards all in one place I will have a read through again to find the quote. This would indeed mean that she may have gone to visit the school in Windemere.

Ah ha! Found it .... good grief, it's in the Sally's giftshop postcard, haha, and I only recently re-read that one too.
It also mentions the thank you for returning the scales. Have left out a couple of words I can't quite read for sure - I think the "divine" was spelt like that on purpose to emphasise.

"Dear Sal, Thinking of you as I explored this quaint little shop on my tour to the historic village of Alfriston. Am feeling more relaxed. So much beauty and antiquity everywhere. So, I'm in my element. Next stop Amsterdam. Hope it wasn't too much of a pain getting those things to Jenny Hills, especially the kitchen scales. You're a kind daughter. Have seen my first red squirrel & rabbits" - can't read next two words - "in the fields. The strawberries taste DEVINE and so do the raspberries.
Lots of love to you" - can't read word, might be "both"? - "Love Mum xx"

 

[JLZ]

Ah ha! Found it .... good grief, it's in the Sally's giftshop postcard, haha, and I only recently re-read that one too.
It also mentions the thank you for returning the scales. Have left out a couple of words I can't quite read for sure - I think the "divine" was spelt like that on purpose to emphasise.

"Dear Sal, Thinking of you as I explored this quaint little shop on my tour to the historic village of Alfriston. Am feeling more relaxed. So much beauty and antiquity everywhere. So, I'm in my element. Next stop Amsterdam. Hope it wasn't too much of a pain getting those things to Jenny Hills, especially the kitchen scales. You're a kind daughter. Have seen my first red squirrel & rabbits" - can't read next two words - "in the fields. The strawberries taste DEVINE and so do the raspberries.
Lots of love to you" - can't read word, might be "both"? - "Love Mum xx"

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Right, so Marion might not have heard whether Jenny had received the scales or not? It could be a reminder disguised as a thank you/high-handed, dismissive apology. It actually sounds like a fair bit of trouble, but no explanation of why Marion didn't do it herself, just--you're a kind daughter, of course you'll oblige me. Then strong change of subject, don't think too much of yourself Sally, I'm looking at something else already.