Australia Australia - Marion Barter - Missing After Trip to UK - June 1997 #17

[Martinie]

Yes @Lord Peter Flimsy which is why its paywalled. The subscription allows for David Murray to keep publishing articles related to the case. It's a good thing! Every subscription and interest on the case on "The Australian" FB page helps drive more publicity which will then create a knockon effect for other papers to run the stories.

Yeah. Even though I'm not subscribed, I click on the article, then go back and comment, like and share it so there is as much activity on the articles as possible.

 

[Laughing]

Maybe the cruise job was just to earn the money to be able to fly home in May. It could have been a short Australian cruise? Were they a thing back in the 70's? Like to Vanuatu or Fiji or the like.

I thought Reid said that he was a waiter, and Ilona a passenger?

jmho, I had trouble leaving my baby to go to the office, wouldn't have considered another continent!

 

[CuriousKat99]

DBM

 

[CuriousKat99]

I thought Reid said that he was a waiter, and Ilona a passenger?

jmho, I had trouble leaving my baby to go to the office, wouldn't have considered another continent!

Agree that it seems quite an awful thing to do to a child, but if we consider life in those times, ie females, especially those with children had limited opportunities to work and if they did have a job, the pay was very low; there was no single parent benefit (only introduced in Australia in 1974) and I’m sure AKA wouldn’t have provided any financial assistance, it’s likely IK would have been in a very dire position and may not have had any other option.

 

[Laughing]

Agree that it seems quite an awful thing to do to a child, but if we consider life in those times, ie females, especially those with children had limited opportunities to work and if they did have a job, the pay was very low; there was no single parent benefit (only introduced in Australia in 1974) and I’m sure AKA wouldn’t have provided any financial assistance, it’s likely IK would have been in a very dire position and may not have had any other option.

Agree about the times, but Reid tells us iirc that Ilona is a passenger on a cruise ship, while Reid is the worker.

Were cruises from Australia notably inexpensive at this time?

 

[Lord Peter Flimsy]

Was MR working on the P&O SS Chusan? Shame the article doesn’t say. Would be surprised if the journalist didn’t ask.

 

[CuriousKat99]

Agree about the times, but Reid tells us iirc that Ilona is a passenger on a cruise ship, while Reid is the worker.

Were cruises from Australia notably inexpensive at this time?

It seems some of the facts in the article have got mixed. IK was actually working on the ship according to MBNP FB.

“Ilona sent Evelyn home on a plane back to her mother to care (more out of desperation than anything) for her and Ilona got a job on the cruise (not a holiday) to get back home herself. She met MR on the ship whilst working is my understanding. Sally”

 

[ruby925]

“Ilona sent Evelyn home on a plane back to her mother to care (more out of desperation than anything) for her and Ilona got a job on the cruise (not a holiday) to get back home herself. She met MR on the ship whilst working is my understanding. Sally”

That makes sense, but in May 1970, both baby and IK are leaving Australia again separately, so neither of them stayed in Europe for long. Many on WS were searching arrival passenger records, but I don't think any were found for IK arriving between Mar and May 1970, wonder how they got back to Australia?

 

[Observe_dont_Absorb]

“She warned me off doing anything because I am a bit of a terrier, or I was in those days,”. Wonder what Mr R means by that?

Terriers are small but can be feisty and quick to bite. Bearing in mind RB's tall stature I assume he means he was ready to violently or at least physically challenge / take on RB but IK talked him out of it. I'm not advocating violence but perhaps it might have served a purpose for him to go all terrier on RB :O

 

[Lord Peter Flimsy]

That makes sense, but in May 1970, both baby and IK are leaving Australia again separately, so neither of them stayed in Europe for long. Many on WS were searching arrival passenger records, but I don't think any were found for IK arriving between Mar and May 1970, wonder how they got back to Australia?

Not that I’m saying this is the case but what paperwork did crew members have to show when docking at a port and getting off the ship? Was it the same as the passengers?

 

[Lord Peter Flimsy]

If you put SS Chusan into Facebook search you will find a BBC Archive of an episode of the Holiday program on the cruise ship SS Chusan in 1969.

 

[HinterlandObserver]

If you put SS Chusan into Facebook search you will find a BBC Archive of an episode of the Holiday program on the cruise ship SS Chusan in 1969.

Interesting to see!

 

[ruby925]

Not that I’m saying this is the case but what paperwork did crew members have to show when docking at a port and getting off the ship? Was it the same as the passengers?

I think maybe passport and transit visa if just laying over and visa required, otherwise it would be a very easy way to enter a country illegally. By the late seventies, when I worked in airline industry, it was very rare that a Merchant Seaman did not have the correct paperwork for travel, as it was usually organised for them by agencies. All IMO of course.

 

[Lord Peter Flimsy]

Interesting to see!

6 baths to be shared between 149 passengers sounded a bit grim!

 

[ruby925]

6 baths to be shared between 149 passengers sounded a bit grim!

I was expecting to see something more luxurious, especially for £325 for a fortnight? (I might have got that wrong). Looked more like a holiday camp than a cruise liner imo. MR could have been on that ship, that was a med cruise, but we know the Chusan went down to Australia too.

 

[Lord Peter Flimsy]

I was expecting to see something more luxurious, especially for £325 for a fortnight? (I might have got that wrong). Looked more like a holiday camp than a cruise liner imo. MR could have been on that ship, that was a med cruise, but we know the Chusan went down to Australia too.

I was closely looking at all the faces on that ship!

 

[mishy66]

She was left high and dry by AH when he told her he was going off to report on the Vietnam war.



He wasnt of course. He went to France left her in Australia with no money. She funded her trip home to her family by getting a job on a cruiseship, short route, where she met MJR. She then had enough money to get a plane ticket for herself and her baby back home to Belgium. The baby going back with her friend to be with IK mother and IK flying out a couple of days later.



She then went back to AH with the baby to France for a short time ( she obviously loved him) but just prior to him being arrested she left him.again and reunited with MJR where they married had aother child and eventually came out again to Australia 1973/ early 1f974.



Is my understanding.


I found 3 Reids coming out to Australia 1973 on a ship.

 

[gymtonic]

Whilst we are discussing IK, just something else to throw into the mix that hasn’t been mentioned in the news articles…

…around the same time that RB is accumulating traffic offences in 1968, IK herself gets a criminal charge for traffic/haulage offence on 19 August 1968. At this time RB is « working« for the company Euro Ménager, listed at his parent’s address at 15 Avenue Henri Conscience. But it is only a few months before Renov Pubs is set up at the Rue des Franks, 46, Etterbeek address, which IK also lists as her address (as an aside a reminder that « pubs » in French means « adverts » rather than a generic « publications«)

It may or may not be significant but RB’s time with Euro Ménager seemed to involve over the average number of traffic/ haulage offences (hmmm stolen and sold Porche??). Maybe, just maybe IK had been drawn in to a shady world and ended up getting an offence against her name too, but wanted to escape that. Maybe RB thought he had leverage? Just speculating on the timeline around that time given the latest recollections from MR.

IMO

 

[Estelle]

It’s good to see this case is getting wider publicity in Luxembourg & Belgium but not sure the same can be said for The Netherlands. Just how many Dutch dentists would have been holidaying in East Sussex or were in that region in July 1997? If this was picked up by Dutch national media there must be a chance he would be found?

Is there a professional publication for Dutch dentists that might possibly track them down or publicise it more thoroughly?

I have never thought that this man was really a Dutch dentist. IMO he could have been an associate of AKA from Amsterdam whom he had arranged to "look after" Marion.

 

[Newby171]

I have never thought that this man was really a Dutch dentist. IMO he could have been an associate of AKA from Amsterdam whom he had arranged to "look after" Marion.

maybe the dutch dentist is AKA?