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

[Mel 1303]

Marion’s banking details should reveal the name of the shipping container company and more besides.

Yes. And the police have these records- as told to us in the most recent episode of the podcast.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

It's almost a month since the last podcast episode.

I actually had a feeling that there wouldn't be any more since Marion has now been put on the missing persons register.

 

[bje111]

All they need to do is check who the phone was registered to at the time, name and address will be revealed, the police can do this .... too easy, hey, if only someone in authority would run the check ... or have they already?

Searched online (0266864788 who called from (02) 6686 4788?) found an address this phone number is listed to - in a block of units/townhouses 1/53 Anderson St, East Ballina. I'm probably behind the 8-ball and possibly this has already been discussed on here?

I wonder if it was listed at this same address in 1994-1997? Someone needs to speak to the residents there and see if they know anything. Someone could still be living in the block of units since 1994? This post stipulates that there are "17 listings associated with this number" - so Telstra must have a record of everyone who held the phone number?!

Also, it appears some of these properties were rented by LJ Hooker Ballina and McGrath Ballina - I wonder if they have any records pertaining to who rented or lived there around 1994?

The police should carry out this due dilegence - simple searches would eliminate the Remakel connection (or further cement it)... either way - this address and phone number must be looked into....

 

[Itsapuzzle]

Searched online (0266864788 who called from (02) 6686 4788?) found an address this phone number is listed to - in a block of units/townhouses 1/53 Anderson St, East Ballina. I'm probably behind the 8-ball and possibly this has already been discussed on here?

I wonder if it was listed at this same address in 1994-1997? Someone needs to speak to the residents there and see if they know anything. Someone could still be living in the block of units since 1994? This post stipulates that there are "17 listings associated with this number" - so Telstra must have a record of everyone who held the phone number?!

Also, it appears some of these properties were rented by LJ Hooker Ballina and McGrath Ballina - I wonder if they have any records pertaining to who rented or lived there around 1994?

The police should carry out this due dilegence - simple searches would eliminate the Remakel connection (or further cement it)... either way - this address and phone number must be looked into....

Good find bje111, but this address has been ruled out unfortunately. I emailed The Lady Vanishes team a couple of months ago about it and was told that that address had a different phone number in 1994 stretching back from 1987 and is definitely not the address linked to the number in the ad. Joni has searched all the phone books and Bryan has searched on microfiche - completely brilliant - it seems that this was a private number back in 1994, so I guess only the police have the authority to check it out, which hopefully they've done by now. I've mentioned before it does seem odd to put a private number in an advertisement with your name next to it ..... Cheers

 

[bje111]

Good find bje111, but this address has been ruled out unfortunately. I emailed The Lady Vanishes team a couple of months ago about it and was told that that address had a different phone number in 1994 stretching back from 1987 and is definitely not the address linked to the number in the ad. Joni has searched all the phone books and Bryan has searched on microfiche - completely brilliant - it seems that this was a private number back in 1994, so I guess only the police have the authority to check it out, which hopefully they've done by now. I've mentioned before it does seem odd to put a private number in an advertisement with your name next to it ..... Cheers

Yes - and if you were up to no good - would you really use your real name?

 

[K8g]

I wonder if there has been any more investigation into the Medicare card that was used in Grafton soon after 'Florabella's' return. Do we know if the Medicare card was in the name of Marion or Florabella?
According to this link regarding privacy of missing persons, information can be disclosed if it's considered necessary to assist in the search of a missing person. I assume that now that Marion is officially listed, a lot more information that the police have gathered is also able to be disclosed?

 

[Meligator]

Good find bje111, but this address has been ruled out unfortunately. I emailed The Lady Vanishes team a couple of months ago about it and was told that that address had a different phone number in 1994 stretching back from 1987 and is definitely not the address linked to the number in the ad. Joni has searched all the phone books and Bryan has searched on microfiche - completely brilliant - it seems that this was a private number back in 1994, so I guess only the police have the authority to check it out, which hopefully they've done by now. I've mentioned before it does seem odd to put a private number in an advertisement with your name next to it ..... Cheers

Thanks for info! I’ve wondered if the number was some kind of voicemail type service. A number someone might use when placing a personal ad—doesn’t ring to their regular home landline but some number a person could receive messages. This might be particularly useful for someone living overseas/visiting — long distance was expensive back then.

 

[Meligator]

Yes - and if you were up to no good - would you really use your real name?

Good point. Even if the Remakel from the ad is involved in Marion’s disappearance, that person might not be who he says he is.

 

[poppypopcorn]

Going back to the beginning of the story... The choice of Sussex and Kent as a holiday destination has struck me as weird right from the start of the podcast.

There's nothing wrong with choosing to go there on holiday but it's a bit odd. Most people who come to the UK from so far away want to see London, Oxford, Cambridge, or head further north to Scotland, the Lake District or York. Sussex/Kent is an unusual choice. Pretty enough, but mainly commuter towns for London. Lots of villages with tea shops and antiques centres but would it really be somewhere to occupy a visitor for 6 weeks from the middle/end of June through to the beginning of August? Personally, I don't think so.

There must have been another reason for basing yourself in that part of the UK. Whether it be a friend, a relationship, building links with a school or something else. Also as mentioned on the podcast the Eurostar train runs from Ashford (40km from Tunbridge Wells) through the Channel Tunnel and on into France or Belgium. There is a reason for her choosing that location for her holiday.

 

[sunnynz]

Going back to the beginning of the story... The choice of Sussex and Kent as a holiday destination has struck me as weird right from the start of the podcast.

There's nothing wrong with choosing to go there on holiday but it's a bit odd. Most people who come to the UK from so far away want to see London, Oxford, Cambridge, or head further north to Scotland, the Lake District or York. Sussex/Kent is an unusual choice. Pretty enough, but mainly commuter towns for London. Lots of villages with tea shops and antiques centres but would it really be somewhere to occupy a visitor for 6 weeks from the middle/end of June through to the beginning of August? Personally, I don't think so.

There must have been another reason for basing yourself in that part of the UK. Whether it be a friend, a relationship, building links with a school or something else. Also as mentioned on the podcast the Eurostar train runs from Ashford (40km from Tunbridge Wells) through the Channel Tunnel and on into France or Belgium. There is a reason for her choosing that location for her holiday.

Absolutely! This has struck me as a very odd place to base oneself too. If only there is a way to track down who Marion was visiting/staying with/travelling with at that point, that would be the key to this case.

 

[Mel 1303]

Absolutely! This has struck me as a very odd place to base oneself too. If only there is a way to track down who Marion was visiting/staying with/travelling with at that point, that would be the key to this case.

It also seems odd to me that after all the talk of the Orient Express, purchasing a ticket- she then tells Sally she isn't going. She'll do that later. She is going to hang out in Tunbridge Wells with little old ladies and drink tea.

 

[Itsapuzzle]

Just recently I've come to think that this is quite a possibility.
I'm conflicted, though, because I still can't shake Hermes Far Eastern Shining involvement either.

I've been looking for Hermes Far Eastern Shining links too K8g .... been google searching with words like "senior citizens" in towns associated with Gerald Attrill - found some pictures that look very much like Marion, but not quite. And regarding Hermes, found this .... now I'm not one to judge but this isn't exactly how I imagined the messiah would look, hey? Shall keep investigating.
(Page 6)
https://www.echo.net.au/downloads/tweed-echo/TweedEcho0109.pdf

 

[K8g]

@Itsapuzzle - Messiah, businessman... whatever he is, he's made a lot of money from those titles!

Interestingly, his magical water (or whatever it is) cost $5,000 for 100 vials in 1998. I wonder how long 100 vials would last. Maybe a week? ( Weekly withdrawals of $5,000?)

There's reference to it here. (Search the page for "100 vials" to find it in the transcript.)
True Stories

 

[bje111]

now I'm not one to judge but this isn't exactly how I imagined the messiah would look, hey?

hahahahha!!! you are hilarious.... there's a tonne of info online about this cult....

 

[Itsapuzzle]

@Itsapuzzle - Messiah, businessman... whatever he is, he's made a lot of money from those titles!

Interestingly, his magical water (or whatever it is) cost $5,000 for 100 vials in 1998. I wonder how long 100 vials would last. Maybe a week? ( Weekly withdrawals of $5,000?)

There's reference to it here. (Search the page for "100 vials" to find it in the transcript.)
True Stories

Very enlightening transcript, and the 1998 reference is interesting - thanks for putting that up K8g. How's that, hey, she (Nicole) bought a heap of $5000 wands of cordial, strenuously worked daily for them, and .... oh, and no charge thank you very much ..... and they say they would like her to leave the community ... oh nice! .... but they still wanted her to continue to buy the magical little wands and to come and work for free each day, but just go and pay your own rent somewhere else thanks. Nice!! And even after she eventually left the cult and had two children .... "I was willing to give up those two children to go back to this man". Oh boy. She thought he was Jesus Christ ..... never pictured Jesus in the bookies ring, carrying two glasses of booze, half sloshed, with a woman half his age heading off to watch a fashion parade ....
Interesting theory about the $5000 withdrawals, I suppose that's possible, yes. Give them all your money then they say "sorry, off you go", then you're out in the world left with nothing! H'mm, quite possible and would be devastating to the follower. Interesting that Attrill is listed as a Eungella businessman, that's over 1000 kilometres away from Tyalgum - and also the Infinity Yellow thingo was in Wisconsin, Maroochydore, New Zealand .... interesting

 

[Intriguedbyintrigue]

It also seems odd to me that after all the talk of the Orient Express, purchasing a ticket- she then tells Sally she isn't going. She'll do that later. She is going to hang out in Tunbridge Wells with little old ladies and drink tea.

Yes! I dont think Marion ever intended to go on the orient Express.

The woman who interviewed Marion for the TSS job (and oversaw her at the junior school) said she felt Marion was putting on a performance in her interview and also during the times they interacted.

To me the UK trip feels like a performance too (following Jane Austin's foot-steps, the orient express) and the stories in the postcards (tea with old ladies). I dont think she did any of these things. I think this was Marion making sure people remembered her how she wanted to be remembered.

I think image was extremely important to Marion. The Ex-husband Ray says she wasnt one to open up and from what we've heard from friends sally and sisters she was the same with them. She also moved around a lot and everywhere she lived is described as immaculate (garden, house, appearance). Marion may have some perfectionist traits and i think she worked very hard to project and maintain her image.

Marion was having difficulty at TSS over her teaching methods. Sally describes it as tall poppy syndrome but it could also be that Marion did not take feedback/supervision well (especially feedback that threatened her image as a great teacher). Her groundsman boyfriend of the time thought Marion was being dramatic and petty and it makes me wonder if the abuse accusation Marion told Sally about was actually Marion exaggerating her TSS problems in an outrageous way so that it would be scoffed at by anyone she told the story to.

 

[Intriguedbyintrigue]

Channel 7 are advertising 'a major breakthrough' on tonight's news service. I think it's only broadcast in Sydney and Brisbane. The segment is going to be posted on the lady vanishes Facebook page once it is aired.

From the post it looks like the missing persons unit have visited Sally to get some of Marion's shoes to try and extract her DNA.

 

[sunnynz]

Channel 7 are advertising 'a major breakthrough' on tonight's news service. I think it's only broadcast in Sydney and Brisbane. The segment is going to be posted on the lady vanishes Facebook page once it is aired.

From the post it looks like the missing persons unit have visited Sally to get some of Marion's shoes to try and extract her DNA.

Yes and they have some new footage of Marion from before she disappeared from the sounds of things.

Re the DNA, wonder if they have a Jane doe they’re comparing with or if they’re just actually formally collecting DNA to have on file which it doesn’t sound like they’ve previously done.

 

[Itsapuzzle]

Channel 7 are advertising 'a major breakthrough' on tonight's news service. I think it's only broadcast in Sydney and Brisbane. The segment is going to be posted on the lady vanishes Facebook page once it is aired.

From the post it looks like the missing persons unit have visited Sally to get some of Marion's shoes to try and extract her DNA.

Ooh, thanks for the breaking news, will have a look on the Facebook page ... hopefully a breakthrough and some answers for Sally and her family, really hope so.

 

[Garyb]

Looking at the new video of her at the dance, she seems decidedly odd. The clothes she is wearing and not really interacting with the others.