Australia Australia - Marion Barter, 51, missing after trip to UK, June 1997 #11

[Estelle]

I agree that the transcript of the letter (which I had not seen before in its entirety) shifts the kaleidoscope for me. If we assume it is what it is, then MB has not taken a direct route to the UK and has had a stop-over somewhere, either Seoul or Tokyo. I really hope that international investigations can clear that up because it is a nagging loose end. IMO It is still possible that MB's route and stop-over and RB's route and stop-over do not intersect at this point, and that the arrangement is to meet up in Amsterdam at a later time and after MB's UK tripping around? I agree that he has either arranged the accommodation in advance for MB or heavily influenced her where to book. I would love to rule out whether the Manor Farm Oast was advertised in the RACQ Magazine or even the Queensland Teachers Union Magazine around that time as well as the hire car.

Your June 29 scenario for MB is very likely IMO. I only question whether RB travels with to London as he does like to travel separately. I may have missed previously the evidence or reasoning for why RB has checked luggage into Heathrow as well? There is the weird mistake in the letter of catching a train north from Heathrow to TW, but maybe innocent mistake or UK geography not a strong point? It is clearer from the writing that the luggage was checked in at a counter rather than a locker (which was debated sometime ago).

For me the whole goal of this trip is for RB to gain MB's documents so he has to be with her at Heathrow airport to lure her into leaving the case with winter clothes and documents in it in a way that he can access later. So when the baggage was checked in at the counter, RB would have had another bag to check in too so they both got the paperwork or he said he would take it. He couldn't arrive at another time to do that. Otherwise he would have to steal hers which would have been more difficult as there is no evidence of his being with MB in TW.

IMO he had to lure MB with something to excite her on the trip over if he didn't want to spend time with her in TW. So the idea of a few days "in the East" with a possible marriage in Tokyo (which was never registered) would have appealed to a woman like Marion desperate for marriage again. Just look at her Departure card!

So then when she arrived in Heathrow, she would have then been content that her "husband" could go to attend to boring things like business while she relaxed in TW with the lure of Amsterdam and the Orient Express with him in August.

 

[Estelle]

The postcards and letter are fascinating. These are the only times we really get an insight into Marion’s thinking at that time and apart from her final phone call to Sally these are her final words. They become even more intriguing following on from the inquest. One day light will be shed on her European ‘adventure’ and how these postcards fit in.

Yes thanks for posting them, Peter, and for the other person who posted the comments so we could read them. They are very useful to try to glean what Marion's mood was at the time, what was important for her to mention and how she was spending her days.

IMO Marion was not a woman who never wanted to see her family again.

 

[Estelle]

I agree that the transcript of the letter (which I had not seen before in its entirety) shifts the kaleidoscope for me. If we assume it is what it is, then MB has not taken a direct route to the UK and has had a stop-over somewhere, either Seoul or Tokyo. I really hope that international investigations can clear that up because it is a nagging loose end. IMO It is still possible that MB's route and stop-over and RB's route and stop-over do not intersect at this point, and that the arrangement is to meet up in Amsterdam at a later time and after MB's UK tripping around? I agree that he has either arranged the accommodation in advance for MB or heavily influenced her where to book. I would love to rule out whether the Manor Farm Oast was advertised in the RACQ Magazine or even the Queensland Teachers Union Magazine around that time as well as the hire car.

Your June 29 scenario for MB is very likely IMO. I only question whether RB travels with to London as he does like to travel separately. I may have missed previously the evidence or reasoning for why RB has checked luggage into Heathrow as well? There is the weird mistake in the letter of catching a train north from Heathrow to TW, but maybe innocent mistake or UK geography not a strong point? It is clearer from the writing that the luggage was checked in at a counter rather than a locker (which was debated sometime ago).

EDIT: I just realised an internal logic fault. The letter was on Narita letterhead so either MB went via Tokyo or if she got the paper from RB then she met up with him prior to writing the letter. Unless she found the letterhead in one of the accommodations and it was left by someone else? I've come across letter head in hotels not from that hotel and left by previous guests a number of times.

IMO she had to have been with RB in Tokyo or had contact with him to get the Narita Hotel stationery. However, IMO a woman like Marion (whom I see as very dependent on men) would not have gone to Tokyo alone in 1997 especially as she didn't speak Japanese. I am a frequent traveller having been to over 150 countries and I didn't go there until 2005 and then again in 2017. Japan was not a popular destination for Australians in 1997 but was slowly becoming more popular when the offer by JAL was a free stopover in Tokyo with dinner, a room and breakfast on the way to Europe. That's why I first went there but they also offered a week in another location on the way home. I don't buy that Marion just picked up the stationery from where she was staying. That is too much of a coincidence.

 

[Estelle]

 

[TootsieFootsie]

I seem to recall that she may have borrowed them from the school ?

At the time I thought, why not just go and buy some scales.

IMO it was as if Marion felt very guilty. Did she use petty cash to buy them? If she used her own money, there was no need to return them.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

This is behind a paywall but it does mention the scales and that Marion had brought her own set from home but the boys had damaged it.
It says that Marion couldn't remember if she paid for them herself or used petty cash.


https://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.a...ws-story/7c1fac6587b7edf23abb3eb08396d259?amp

 

[ruby925]

I agree that the transcript of the letter (which I had not seen before in its entirety) shifts the kaleidoscope for me. If we assume it is what it is, then MB has not taken a direct route to the UK and has had a stop-over somewhere, either Seoul or Tokyo. I really hope that international investigations can clear that up because it is a nagging loose end. IMO It is still possible that MB's route and stop-over and RB's route and stop-over do not intersect at this point, and that the arrangement is to meet up in Amsterdam at a later time and after MB's UK tripping around? I agree that he has either arranged the accommodation in advance for MB or heavily influenced her where to book. I would love to rule out whether the Manor Farm Oast was advertised in the RACQ Magazine or even the Queensland Teachers Union Magazine around that time as well as the hire car.

Your June 29 scenario for MB is very likely IMO. I only question whether RB travels with to London as he does like to travel separately. I may have missed previously the evidence or reasoning for why RB has checked luggage into Heathrow as well? There is the weird mistake in the letter of catching a train north from Heathrow to TW, but maybe innocent mistake or UK geography not a strong point? It is clearer from the writing that the luggage was checked in at a counter rather than a locker (which was debated sometime ago).

EDIT: I just realised an internal logic fault. The letter was on Narita letterhead so either MB went via Tokyo or if she got the paper from RB then she met up with him prior to writing the letter. Unless she found the letterhead in one of the accommodations and it was left by someone else? I've come across letter head in hotels not from that hotel and left by previous guests a number of times.

The only sticking point I have with MB and RB travelling together to Heathrow is that, as far as we know, RB did not have a passport in the name of FNR, at that time his passport was in the name of RW. At checkin, passport control, border control UK, filling out landing cards on board the aircraft..all points where MB might have seen a name other than FNR...how did he square this when MB had already got her official name change to FNMR?

 

[Estelle]

The only sticking point I have with MB and RB travelling together to Heathrow is that, as far as we know, RB did not have a passport in the name of FNR, at that time his passport was in the name of RW. At checkin, passport control, border control UK, filling out landing cards on board the aircraft..all points where MB might have seen a name other than FNR...how did he square this when MB had already got her official name change to FNMR?

My hunch is that RB had a Luxembourg fake passport in the Remakel name which he used to travel from Tokyo to Heathrow.

Otherwise, he could have told Marion that he will stand in a different line to her when checking in and going through Immigration at Heathrow. He could have also filled out his Departure card secretly and his Arrival card while in the toilet.

 

[Meligator]

This is the transcript (sorry a few misspellings) of the letter to Sally. I’ve removed the final paragraph as there is some personal info on there.

Marion did send more postcards to other family members & friends but sadly these were destroyed before it became apparent she was missing.

Wow thanks. Don’t think I’ve read all these in entirety especially details about returning the scales. Wonder if she brought them home for something RB needed (weighing coins? Is that a thing)? Just seems so odd she feels the need to explain in such detail why she had them. Especially since the scales seem to be the only really important thing she needs returned. Maybe it was unlike her to take things home from school and so having them feels particularly unjustified to her?

 

[Meligator]

My hunch is that RB had a Luxembourg fake passport in the Remakel name which he used to travel from Tokyo to Heathrow.

Otherwise, he could have told Marion that he will stand in a different line to her when checking in and going through Immigration at Heathrow. He could have also filled out his Departure card secretly and his Arrival card while in the toilet.

I’ve considered this. Would airlines/customs have noticed that his passport exiting Tokyo didn’t have an entrance stamp?

 

[Satchie]

@Satchie
Is there a street number for "The Terrace"? The Terrace is the name of a street, although there is also some holiday rental accommodation on the street called The Terrace with listings on airbnb and other holiday rental sites. It's close to the beach.
Was the specific address referred to in DdH's inquest testimony? I'll go back and have another listen.

With regards to the other properties there's info on them below.

https://www.domain.com.au/property-...utm_medium=referral&utm_content=HistoryBottom

https://www.domain.com.au/property-...au&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=HistoryTop

Thanks for those links.

I notice their original Ballina house, which I had assumed they owned, wasn't sold in late 1996 when they moved, it was sold in April 1998, after they had moved back to a different house in Ballina.

Was it perhaps a rental? Or did RB possess two homes during that time?

The Wollongbar house history doesn't go back to the 1990s. Possibly the old home was demolished and a new one built.

I guess no one knows their current address in Ballina. Makes sense, for privacy reasons.

My curiosity about the housing changes is that buying and selling real estate can be a way to launder money - as well as possibly being what RB was after: a nicer/paid off house for himself and his family.

JMO

 

[ruby925]

I’ve considered this. Would airlines/customs have noticed that his passport exiting Tokyo didn’t have an entrance stamp?

Airlines would only check that the passport name matched the ticket and whether the passenger had a visa/permit for the final destination (if required). I don't know about the Japanese border force, others may have more knowledge.

 

[Eyespywithmylittleeye]

Way back in the thread there was an explanation found for the importance of the scales.

Maybe someone else can remember the details.

I didn't find anything odd about it, and could see why Marion would have wanted to return anything belonging to the school.

I suppose if it were me.. writing my to child.. and let’s say yes I wanted those scales returned that would be a few lines of - honey can you do me a favour and return the scales to school for me… then more waffle about my travels. It’s not the asking of the returning of them I find odd… it’s the level of depth in the letter… the ‘you used them to bake, don’t elaborate’ that’s the odd bit.

 

[Eyespywithmylittleeye]

The only sticking point I have with MB and RB travelling together to Heathrow is that, as far as we know, RB did not have a passport in the name of FNR, at that time his passport was in the name of RW. At checkin, passport control, border control UK, filling out landing cards on board the aircraft..all points where MB might have seen a name other than FNR...how did he square this when MB had already got her official name change to FNMR?

Probably the same way he squares everything some ridiculous story

 

[Eyespywithmylittleeye]

Thanks for those links.

I notice their original Ballina house, which I had assumed they owned, wasn't sold in late 1996 when they moved, it was sold in April 1998, after they had moved back to a different house in Ballina.

Was it perhaps a rental? Or did RB possess two homes during that time?

The Wollongbar house history doesn't go back to the 1990s. Possibly the old home was demolished and a new one built.

I guess no one knows their current address in Ballina. Makes sense, for privacy reasons.

My curiosity about the housing changes is that buying and selling real estate can be a way to launder money - as well as possibly being what RB was after: a nicer/paid off house for himself and his family.

JMO

My impression was the house in Ballina was a rental and the move to wollongbar also a rental and apparently ‘cheaper’ according to DDH testimony

 

[Binniem]

What about the Colonial State Bank?

I’m not sure, but I would think that most banks at the time had similar systems

 

[Binniem]

According to a Comm Bank manager (Brian - podcast Episode 13), when asked how money could be transferred in 1997: he said that NetBank (digital platform?) was launched in 1997, so is this not possible to use to transfer money?

I was just referring to phone banking as that was what the previous poster asked about. NetBank has evolved quite significantly since it started, it’s essentially a full service now, but was a lot simpler when it started. I don’t recall when third party transfers became available.

 

[KiwiNZ]

Airlines would only check that the passport name matched the ticket and whether the passenger had a visa/permit for the final destination (if required). I don't know about the Japanese border force, others may have more knowledge.

you would have to book your tickets in the name you are travelling in so it matches the ticket, if you book with a travel agent it would be very odd to ask them to book leg 1 in this passport and this name and the 2nd leg in another passport and another name - unless you had a travel agent in on the con ?

The only other way I can think is you book Aus to Japan as a one way ticket and then book another while in Japan to exist but I am not sure that would even be possible, you would also not get the free night at Narita hotel

 

[brjakj]

My hunch is that RB had a Luxembourg fake passport in the Remakel name which he used to travel from Tokyo to Heathrow.

Otherwise, he could have told Marion that he will stand in a different line to her when checking in and going through Immigration at Heathrow. He could have also filled out his Departure card secretly and his Arrival card while in the toilet.

If he had an EU passport he likely would have had to go to a different line to non-EU passports. At least that’s what it was like in Heathrow when I travelled there in 2004.

 

[Eyespywithmylittleeye]

Wow thanks. Don’t think I’ve read all these in entirety especially details about returning the scales. Wonder if she brought them home for something RB needed (weighing coins? Is that a thing)? Just seems so odd she feels the need to explain in such detail why she had them. Especially since the scales seem to be the only really important thing she needs returned. Maybe it was unlike her to take things home from school and so having them feels particularly unjustified to her?

I wondered that too… if RB needed to use the scales. Marion was able to change her name, get a new passport, sell her house in record time, pack up, put things in a storage unit.. it appears to me completely organised.. yet she forgot she had the scales?