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

[KiwiNZ]

Was there a Commonwealth Bank in Byron Bay as well as a Colonial State Bank in 1997, two completely different buildings at different locations? Or when the takeover occured in 2000 did the Commonwealth slot into Colonial's old bank location, or vice versa? Has anyone found the 1997 bank addresses, just curious?

I have been trying the wayback machine for both banks ( they did have websites in 1997) but cant find location information that works ... someone else may be better at this than me

Commonwealth Bank of Australia - Home Page (archive.org)

 

[KiwiNZ]

Listening to the inquest again, I am starting to think signs of life for Marion / Florabella even in 2010 could have been easily overlooked due to the police investigative skills seeming to be a bit lacking, if they couldn't track down the below examples which seem to be basic enough to locate when you have the resources of the police -

In 2010 Gary S investigated the below leads -

1. Medicare card - couldn't track down a DM Evans at Grafton whom preformed medical procedures.
2. Police couldn't track down Betty Brown from the Salvation Army Tracing unit in 2010
3. He couldn't locate a drivers license for Marion in Queensland ( I cant imagine she didn't have one)

 

[KiwiNZ]

delete

 

[Curiosity Cat]

Listening to the inquest again, I am starting to think signs of life for Marion / Florabella even in 2010 could have been easily overlooked due to the police investigative skills seeming to be a bit lacking, if they couldn't track down the below examples which seem to be basic enough to locate when you have the resources of the police -

In 2010 Gary S investigated the below leads -

1. Medicare card - couldn't track down a DM Evans at Grafton whom preformed medical procedures.
2. Police couldn't track down Betty Brown from the Salvation Army Tracing unit in 2010
3. He couldn't locate a drivers license for Marion in Queensland ( I cant imagine she didn't have one)

I agree, slack police work. There seems to be a lack of thoroughness at the very least. One would expect a search of every state in every one of her names. I heard of some one who obtained their cousin's birth certificate. Maybe Marion did something similar ,a female relative of a similar age. Moved interstate or even overseas on that.

 

[Itsapuzzle]

I have been trying the wayback machine for both banks ( they did have websites in 1997) but cant find location information that works ... someone else may be better at this than me

Commonwealth Bank of Australia - Home Page (archive.org)

Me too, I've been trudging around in the Wayback machine ... starting to obsess about finding them now, haha .... I have found a nearby one at Mullumbimby from January 1998, which would be a better choice if you were doing some covert banking out that way, not far from Byron Bay at all. Will keep looking, h'mm, must be some kind of back door way to find the banks, maybe in some magazine or newsletter.
09 Feb 1998 - Byron Shire Echo In Brief News 12.34 - Archived Website - Trove

 

[KiwiNZ]

I agree, slack police work. There seems to be a lack of thoroughness at the very least. One would expect a search of every state in every one of her names. I heard of some one who obtained their cousin's birth certificate. Maybe Marion did something similar ,a female relative of a similar age. Moved interstate or even overseas on that.

The irony the police couldn't trace Betty Brown in 2010, when she worked for a people tracing services, you would think they would start there and ask them to trace her lol

 

[KiwiNZ]

Me too, I've been trudging around in the Wayback machine ... starting to obsess about finding them now, haha .... I have found a nearby one at Mullumbimby from January 1998, which would be a better choice if you were doing some covert banking out that way, not far from Byron Bay at all. Will keep looking, h'mm, must be some kind of back door way to find the banks, maybe in some magazine or newsletter.
09 Feb 1998 - Byron Shire Echo In Brief News 12.34 - Archived Website - Trove

so I think this is an advert to sell the lease on commercial properties rented by the Commonwealth bank, it does state there is a branch at Byron Bay - this is from 25/04/1997

 

[JLZ]

3. He couldn't locate a drivers license for Marion in Queensland ( I cant imagine she didn't have one)

I think she could have got by on a NSW licence. Did they check if she had one of those?

 

[KiwiNZ]

I think she could have got by on a NSW licence. Did they check if she had one of those?

She handed in her NSW one when she moved to Queensland, they have the cancelation, and then they claim they couldn't find a Queensland one

 

[KiwiNZ]

Published May 2001

 

[KiwiNZ]

@ 1 min into the video - " they suspect someone in northern NSW knows more about Marion's disappearance than they have previously told police " ? ??

$250,000 reward offered for information on Marion Barter's disappearance | 7NEWS - YouTube

 

[sunnynz]

Published May 2001

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Well done!

 

[KiwiNZ]

@ 1 min into the video - " they suspect someone in northern NSW knows more about Marion's disappearance than they have previously told police " ? ??

$250,000 reward offered for information on Marion Barter's disappearance | 7NEWS - YouTube

The only people I can think of that have spoken to Police linked to NSW ( that we know of) would be the Armadale lead and the house the phone call was made from to the tip line.

Or does anyone know where her sisters live ? one in Queensland but not sure of the other 2 ?

Kind of confused that this statement hasn't been made eleswhere, that they have a lead

 

[Itsapuzzle]

The only people I can think of that have spoken to Police linked to NSW ( that we know of) would be the Armadale lead and the house the phone call was made from to the tip line.

Or does anyone know where her sisters live ? one in Queensland but not sure of the other 2 ?

Kind of confused that this statement hasn't been made eleswhere, that they have a lead

My take on this is they're connecting the Lennox Head Remakel PO Box ad with the fellow in the car that night .... neither of these people have come forward, could that be what they're talking about? MOO

 

[KiwiNZ]

My take on this is they're connecting the Lennox Head Remakel PO Box ad with the fellow in the car that night .... neither of these people have come forward, could that be what they're talking about? MOO

They state "previously told police", so I assume they are referring to someone whom they have already spoken too.

Also I got the impression from the police announcement they didn't feel this was a homicide ? Did anyone else get that vibe ?

 

[Itsapuzzle]

They state "previously told police", so I assume they are referring to someone whom they have already spoken too.

Also I got the impression from the police announcement they didn't feel this was a homicide ? Did anyone else get that vibe ?

Ah ha, yes, "previously told police", brilliant pick up KiwiNZ .... it just registered in my head, haha .... h'mm, that is interesting.

 

[MrsEmmaPeel]

Haven't thought of this case in a year or so, but I have a new theory. It struck me reading the brilliant Time Line on page 11 which suddenly made Marion make sense to me.

FWIW. . . .

Spring 1997 - Marion has an affair she keeps from family, friends, colleagues. Maybe he's married, maybe he's abuse. Marion knows what the family thinks of her infatuations and failed marriages, so she is loathe to open herself to criticism. She is reassured that Sally is marrying, and Owen is old enough to take care of himself. The rocky relationship gets rockier. Sally sees Marion with this man.

early Summer 1997 - Fed up and wanting to extricate herself or to punish the lover, Marion ends the affair and to make sure she doesn't give in to him, she plans to leave Australia. She changes her name impetuously, sells her house, and leaves the man behind.

UK Summer 1997 - Marion gets what she wants. The man begs her to come back. Marion resists but then capitulates. Last thing she does is call Sally, maybe even wistfully. She can tell Sally everything once the relationship is concrete and things work out.

August 1997 - Marion returns to Australia. The man turns up the pressure either emotionally or criminally, and Marion withdraws her money. She either can't contact her family or she is too humiliated that her grand tour never happened, and she still hopes the man will make good his promises. She's trapped.

Late 1997 - By the end of the year, Marion is dead. The man makes off with her money. His wife or accomplice phones police about the body.

What's different for me about this theory is that UK and Europe are innocent. The danger was all in Australia. What if Marion was trying to get away but then gave in and returned?

The Time Line is brilliant. Now I'll go back and catch up. Thanks for listening!

 

[TootsieFootsie]

I've always thought it was much more likely that someone here in Australia murdered Marion.

But how to explain her changing her name to Remakel, I'm not sure how that fits in.
Though I don't believe Mr Remakel, the footballer had anything to do with it and if it was me and the team turned up there, I would probably not have handled it as well as he and his wife did.

Late 1997 - By the end of the year, Marion is dead. The man makes off with her money. His wife or accomplice phones police about the body.

 

[JLZ]

Published May 2001

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The address given here as belonging to Commonwealth Bank--56 Jonson Street--is also the address connected to Colonial State Bank BSB number 402-549. This address is now occupied by a skate shop called Street Machine. There is at present a Commonwealth Bank branch at 58 Jonson Street, right next door to the skate shop.

 

[MrsEmmaPeel]

@TootsieFootsie something clicked reading the timeline. The postcards sounded distracted. Genuine but not fully engaged with the trip Marion was on, in a way. Like a woman who was going through the motions. The Remakel name may have just been plucked from thin air. Changing her name may have been an overly dramatic move to thwart the boyfriend (in her own mind) and get away from him. The only reason we link it to the classified ad and to the footballer is because it's rare and when we google they pop up.