1 00:00:05,921 --> 00:00:07,281 Speaker 1: Approche production. 2 00:00:10,881 --> 00:00:14,241 Speaker 2: Have you ever lost something, maybe it was your keys, 3 00:00:14,641 --> 00:00:19,840 Speaker 2: your mobile phone, or something more valuable. To find them, 4 00:00:20,001 --> 00:00:22,921 Speaker 2: you retrace your steps, You look in all the places 5 00:00:22,961 --> 00:00:25,601 Speaker 2: they're most likely to be, and sometimes you look in 6 00:00:25,641 --> 00:00:30,281 Speaker 2: places where they're probably not, but just in case. Sometimes 7 00:00:30,321 --> 00:00:33,441 Speaker 2: when things go missing, you blame other people. You ask 8 00:00:33,481 --> 00:00:36,241 Speaker 2: them if they've put them somewhere, if they've seen them. 9 00:00:36,921 --> 00:00:40,521 Speaker 2: You sometimes think the worst, maybe they've been stolen, taken 10 00:00:40,561 --> 00:00:43,721 Speaker 2: from you when you weren't looking. Some of those theories 11 00:00:43,721 --> 00:00:46,041 Speaker 2: that you come up with when something goes missing are 12 00:00:46,081 --> 00:00:52,160 Speaker 2: far fetched. You blame and have unreasonable thoughts. Those themes 13 00:00:52,281 --> 00:00:56,641 Speaker 2: will be explored in this podcast, but not with insignificant 14 00:00:56,641 --> 00:01:05,481 Speaker 2: material things, but with a person. This is a story 15 00:01:05,641 --> 00:01:09,681 Speaker 2: of Desmond Francis Carr, who was last seen at three 16 00:01:09,721 --> 00:01:15,801 Speaker 2: pm on August two, nineteen seventy nine, and then he disappeared. 17 00:01:17,521 --> 00:01:21,281 Speaker 2: Nineteen seventy nine. The Prime Minister of Australia was Malcolm Fraser. 18 00:01:21,560 --> 00:01:25,800 Speaker 3: We must guide Australia safely through the difficulties and the dangers. 19 00:01:25,840 --> 00:01:29,841 Speaker 2: The Sony Walkman was released in Japan. NASA's first orbiting 20 00:01:29,881 --> 00:01:33,241 Speaker 2: space station crashes to Earth after being in orbit for 21 00:01:33,280 --> 00:01:34,200 Speaker 2: other six years. 22 00:01:34,481 --> 00:01:37,881 Speaker 1: It's one thing. I'll live us again, see it score 23 00:01:38,161 --> 00:01:39,241 Speaker 1: coming towards us. 24 00:01:39,280 --> 00:01:42,720 Speaker 2: Margaret Thatcher was the UK's first ever female Prime minister. 25 00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:45,481 Speaker 1: Dependent pause will dash about and you have to have 26 00:01:45,560 --> 00:01:46,961 Speaker 1: an iron nerve. 27 00:01:47,121 --> 00:01:50,041 Speaker 4: Which across is appropriate from Iron Lady. 28 00:01:50,121 --> 00:01:52,001 Speaker 2: And Prisoner started on TV. 29 00:01:52,041 --> 00:01:56,241 Speaker 5: Honey Side Still shot. 30 00:02:00,281 --> 00:02:04,401 Speaker 2: At thirty eight years old. Desmond Francis Carr or Des 31 00:02:04,481 --> 00:02:07,681 Speaker 2: as he was, was the youngest son of Dolly. 32 00:02:07,481 --> 00:02:09,041 Speaker 5: And Frank Carr from WA. 33 00:02:10,841 --> 00:02:15,641 Speaker 2: Frank DES's dad was a large man, not heavy, but 34 00:02:15,761 --> 00:02:20,161 Speaker 2: tall and lanky. Frank worked for the main roads department 35 00:02:20,321 --> 00:02:25,361 Speaker 2: that Jobby's son, Dez would one day inherit. Dorothy or 36 00:02:25,520 --> 00:02:29,441 Speaker 2: Dolly as everyone knew her, was Frank's wife. They had 37 00:02:29,481 --> 00:02:32,520 Speaker 2: a lovely marriage, lived in a quiet town called York, 38 00:02:32,841 --> 00:02:35,641 Speaker 2: and lived a modest life with their three daughters and 39 00:02:35,761 --> 00:02:40,280 Speaker 2: youngest son, Dez. There was one other child, his name 40 00:02:40,321 --> 00:02:46,561 Speaker 2: was Max. Three days after Max was born, he passed away. 41 00:02:47,881 --> 00:02:52,201 Speaker 2: Shirley DES's little sister recounts what life is like back 42 00:02:52,240 --> 00:02:53,201 Speaker 2: then in York. 43 00:02:53,240 --> 00:02:55,681 Speaker 4: Beautiful little town. I mean I could live there again 44 00:02:55,761 --> 00:02:59,921 Speaker 4: now if I had two Yeah, would definitely days used 45 00:02:59,921 --> 00:03:02,680 Speaker 4: to walk to school with me. Make sure that none 46 00:03:02,721 --> 00:03:05,481 Speaker 4: of the kids picked on me, you know, if they 47 00:03:05,561 --> 00:03:09,960 Speaker 4: did look out. He was very protective of me. Yeah. 48 00:03:10,161 --> 00:03:12,201 Speaker 4: I had lots of little friends at school and that. 49 00:03:12,321 --> 00:03:15,921 Speaker 2: Yet things were pretty simple for a teenager growing up 50 00:03:16,001 --> 00:03:19,601 Speaker 2: in York. You loved afl and hung out with your mates. 51 00:03:20,641 --> 00:03:24,401 Speaker 2: That's exactly how Dez grew into an adult. He loved 52 00:03:24,441 --> 00:03:28,401 Speaker 2: hanging out with mates, watching TV and looking after his 53 00:03:28,520 --> 00:03:29,641 Speaker 2: little sister Shirley. 54 00:03:30,201 --> 00:03:32,441 Speaker 4: You know, we really got on well together. You know, 55 00:03:33,121 --> 00:03:38,281 Speaker 4: mainly played football. Theirs wasn't really a very athletic person, 56 00:03:38,641 --> 00:03:41,881 Speaker 4: you know, he used to like his TV. He wasn't 57 00:03:41,921 --> 00:03:45,641 Speaker 4: a smoker or drinker. Then he used to look after 58 00:03:45,681 --> 00:03:49,041 Speaker 4: me at school, at playtime and things like that. Where 59 00:03:49,161 --> 00:03:52,441 Speaker 4: during when we're a bit older and they didn't want 60 00:03:52,481 --> 00:03:54,801 Speaker 4: to be caught with little sister. 61 00:03:55,201 --> 00:03:56,161 Speaker 5: Did he finish school? 62 00:03:56,481 --> 00:04:01,241 Speaker 4: Yeah, I think he left school third grade. Third what 63 00:04:01,321 --> 00:04:01,841 Speaker 4: do you call it? 64 00:04:01,921 --> 00:04:02,481 Speaker 1: That grade? 65 00:04:02,521 --> 00:04:06,321 Speaker 4: That at high school? Yeah, it was pretty good at school. 66 00:04:06,921 --> 00:04:09,561 Speaker 4: Not a gee whiz, but he got through like I did. 67 00:04:09,601 --> 00:04:12,961 Speaker 4: You know, Green and Joy were the same. Nobody was 68 00:04:13,041 --> 00:04:16,801 Speaker 4: extra bright, but we just managed to get through everything. 69 00:04:16,881 --> 00:04:18,521 Speaker 5: Yet and growing up, what it does want to be 70 00:04:18,961 --> 00:04:19,320 Speaker 5: what it was? 71 00:04:19,321 --> 00:04:19,761 Speaker 1: The insident? 72 00:04:20,801 --> 00:04:24,881 Speaker 4: Well, he wanted to be a race car driver. My 73 00:04:25,041 --> 00:04:28,440 Speaker 4: dad put the stock to that, so I think he 74 00:04:28,561 --> 00:04:29,521 Speaker 4: was a bit of Alarican. 75 00:04:30,201 --> 00:04:34,161 Speaker 2: Shirley is almost seventy five now. She was only thirty 76 00:04:34,161 --> 00:04:38,921 Speaker 2: five when des vanished. Her memories are fading, mainly due 77 00:04:38,961 --> 00:04:42,121 Speaker 2: to mild dementia and some stress throughout a life, but 78 00:04:42,281 --> 00:04:44,640 Speaker 2: some of the memories of DEAs are really clear. 79 00:04:45,320 --> 00:04:48,201 Speaker 4: We've had a little hardware store, you know, it's only 80 00:04:48,241 --> 00:04:53,121 Speaker 4: a probably because of a normal toilet. And yeah, he 81 00:04:53,241 --> 00:04:56,681 Speaker 4: used to go after school and helped clean up the 82 00:04:56,761 --> 00:04:59,961 Speaker 4: yard and things like that. It never got paid money 83 00:05:00,001 --> 00:05:03,401 Speaker 4: for it, but he got other little things like if 84 00:05:03,401 --> 00:05:07,281 Speaker 4: he wanted a toy from the show, or little things 85 00:05:07,440 --> 00:05:10,681 Speaker 4: like rope and that he used to when people used 86 00:05:10,681 --> 00:05:12,801 Speaker 4: to say, what's he rope for? What was he going 87 00:05:12,841 --> 00:05:16,481 Speaker 4: to do with that? But he was less doing the kangaroos, 88 00:05:16,561 --> 00:05:18,121 Speaker 4: wasn't he, we found out later on? 89 00:05:19,481 --> 00:05:21,241 Speaker 5: And what would you do with the kangaroos? After he lies? 90 00:05:21,241 --> 00:05:24,561 Speaker 4: I don't know, I don't want to know. I'll just 91 00:05:24,681 --> 00:05:29,841 Speaker 4: leave that to everyone else's imagination. Was he a happy kid, yeah, 92 00:05:30,401 --> 00:05:34,681 Speaker 4: very mischievous, cheeky. 93 00:05:34,841 --> 00:05:35,681 Speaker 6: Yeah. 94 00:05:35,841 --> 00:05:37,681 Speaker 5: As an adult and when he started to get a 95 00:05:37,721 --> 00:05:39,281 Speaker 5: bit older, and got out of the hardware. 96 00:05:39,320 --> 00:05:42,440 Speaker 4: What was his job then, Well, mainly he was working 97 00:05:42,440 --> 00:05:45,640 Speaker 4: out north for the main raged department, same as what 98 00:05:45,841 --> 00:05:50,241 Speaker 4: Dad did. Dad. And apparently he got mixed up with 99 00:05:50,281 --> 00:05:55,081 Speaker 4: the wrong crowd. He got into drinking before he left 100 00:05:55,081 --> 00:05:58,081 Speaker 4: to go up north. He didn't drink alcohol, you know 101 00:05:58,121 --> 00:06:01,081 Speaker 4: what I mean, but I think he got addicted to it. 102 00:06:01,440 --> 00:06:05,361 Speaker 4: And he wasn't a nasty drunk or anything like that, 103 00:06:05,440 --> 00:06:09,401 Speaker 4: but he was a big drinker. Yeah, yeah. 104 00:06:09,440 --> 00:06:12,200 Speaker 5: And so how old was he when he went up north? 105 00:06:12,440 --> 00:06:16,280 Speaker 4: I think it was seventeen, I think sixteen or seventeen. 106 00:06:15,880 --> 00:06:19,400 Speaker 5: So pretty young young. Would you say you were close brothers? 107 00:06:19,681 --> 00:06:22,921 Speaker 4: Yeah, very close. Yeah. He was my idol, you know, 108 00:06:23,041 --> 00:06:26,161 Speaker 4: my big brother because there's only one boy in the family, 109 00:06:26,521 --> 00:06:29,760 Speaker 4: and I used to look after me, you know a lot, 110 00:06:29,880 --> 00:06:33,001 Speaker 4: but was joined when they were away nursing all the time, 111 00:06:33,121 --> 00:06:35,681 Speaker 4: so they didn't grow up with him sort of like 112 00:06:35,801 --> 00:06:39,721 Speaker 4: I did. And it was, you know, happened to put it. 113 00:06:40,281 --> 00:06:42,801 Speaker 4: The big brother's not here anymore, he's gone up nort 114 00:06:42,880 --> 00:06:43,481 Speaker 4: you know what I mean. 115 00:06:44,121 --> 00:06:46,841 Speaker 5: So when we're talking about up north, whereabouts did he go? 116 00:06:47,320 --> 00:06:51,961 Speaker 4: Palled Headland just all around that area? Arrousked about I 117 00:06:52,001 --> 00:06:52,841 Speaker 4: think you'd call him. 118 00:06:53,121 --> 00:06:56,681 Speaker 5: Yeah, so he'd work on. 119 00:06:55,880 --> 00:06:57,881 Speaker 4: On farms and things like that. 120 00:06:57,961 --> 00:06:58,281 Speaker 1: Yeah. 121 00:06:58,561 --> 00:07:01,481 Speaker 4: Later on in life he went to the main Rage Department, 122 00:07:02,241 --> 00:07:02,801 Speaker 4: working for. 123 00:07:02,721 --> 00:07:06,761 Speaker 2: Them obtaining disser's worklogs from the West Australian main roads. 124 00:07:07,241 --> 00:07:11,361 Speaker 2: He was stationed at a small Aboriginal outpost called Thangu, 125 00:07:11,881 --> 00:07:15,761 Speaker 2: sixteen hundred kilometers north of Perth and only eighty kilometers 126 00:07:15,801 --> 00:07:23,361 Speaker 2: from Broome. Thangu is a coastal homestead first established in 127 00:07:23,481 --> 00:07:29,001 Speaker 2: nineteen fifty by a farmer hoping to raise cattle. Although 128 00:07:29,041 --> 00:07:32,921 Speaker 2: Thangu is coastal, it's still around forty kilometers inland from 129 00:07:32,921 --> 00:07:37,961 Speaker 2: any beach and so is classed as outback. Out Back 130 00:07:37,961 --> 00:07:41,921 Speaker 2: Australia is some of the harshest countryside in the world. 131 00:07:42,481 --> 00:07:45,801 Speaker 2: Most people are afraid of the snakes and spiders that 132 00:07:45,841 --> 00:07:49,721 Speaker 2: they believe inhabit these lands, but in fact more people 133 00:07:49,761 --> 00:07:53,321 Speaker 2: perish in outback Australia because of the sun, the heat 134 00:07:53,921 --> 00:08:03,561 Speaker 2: and the unforgiving landscape. There is red dirt everywhere. Outside 135 00:08:03,561 --> 00:08:07,521 Speaker 2: of the major towns are Aboriginal communities, mostly off the 136 00:08:07,561 --> 00:08:11,641 Speaker 2: beaten track. Des was working on a road that now 137 00:08:11,641 --> 00:08:15,561 Speaker 2: stretches from Perth on Australia's West coast to its northmost 138 00:08:15,601 --> 00:08:21,041 Speaker 2: port Windham. The Great Northern Highway is Australia's longest road 139 00:08:21,241 --> 00:08:27,121 Speaker 2: at over three two hundred kilometers. In nineteen seventy nine, 140 00:08:27,601 --> 00:08:30,321 Speaker 2: Dees was working on the stretch of dirt road that 141 00:08:30,401 --> 00:08:34,721 Speaker 2: would eventually link Port, Headline and Broom. Temperatures in these 142 00:08:34,721 --> 00:08:38,601 Speaker 2: outback areas often reach above thirty five degrees, but on 143 00:08:38,641 --> 00:08:41,881 Speaker 2: the freshly latar it can get into the high forties. 144 00:08:45,041 --> 00:08:47,721 Speaker 2: I think it's important to try and understand the sort 145 00:08:47,761 --> 00:08:50,801 Speaker 2: of person Des was. He was a bit of a loner, 146 00:08:51,641 --> 00:08:54,721 Speaker 2: being the only boy in the family. As a child, 147 00:08:54,801 --> 00:08:58,321 Speaker 2: he would often find his own fun. Sometimes that fun 148 00:08:58,361 --> 00:09:03,241 Speaker 2: would turn into mischief. Des wasn't afraid of being by himself, 149 00:09:03,801 --> 00:09:06,921 Speaker 2: which probably led to him moving up north to work, 150 00:09:07,801 --> 00:09:10,681 Speaker 2: working as part of a main roads team. The hours 151 00:09:10,721 --> 00:09:14,721 Speaker 2: were long, but the money was good. From the records 152 00:09:14,761 --> 00:09:18,361 Speaker 2: we received, it seemed like Des didn't have any mates 153 00:09:18,561 --> 00:09:22,241 Speaker 2: as such up north. He had work colleagues, but none 154 00:09:22,281 --> 00:09:25,401 Speaker 2: of those tight sort of friendships that you establish while 155 00:09:25,441 --> 00:09:27,921 Speaker 2: working in a remote area for months with the same 156 00:09:27,961 --> 00:09:32,561 Speaker 2: group of blokes. He was happy that way. Des didn't 157 00:09:32,561 --> 00:09:35,521 Speaker 2: have a girlfriend or a wife, and from what the 158 00:09:35,601 --> 00:09:40,801 Speaker 2: family remember, little romantic interest. The lifestyle working on these 159 00:09:40,841 --> 00:09:44,561 Speaker 2: remote roads consists of waking up, getting trucked out to 160 00:09:44,641 --> 00:09:48,001 Speaker 2: the area you're assigned to work. Then at the end 161 00:09:48,001 --> 00:09:49,961 Speaker 2: of the day you get picked up and head back 162 00:09:50,001 --> 00:09:52,361 Speaker 2: to camp for some tucker and a beer or two. 163 00:09:53,601 --> 00:09:58,001 Speaker 2: Often you're working on your own with no one else around. 164 00:10:00,081 --> 00:10:04,481 Speaker 2: That was DES's life. Before we dig into what happened 165 00:10:04,481 --> 00:10:07,641 Speaker 2: on August s second, nineteen seventy nine, we have to 166 00:10:07,681 --> 00:10:10,401 Speaker 2: step back over ten years and uncover what could have 167 00:10:10,481 --> 00:10:16,921 Speaker 2: led to DES's disappearance. DES's older sister, Joy remembers. 168 00:10:17,161 --> 00:10:20,681 Speaker 6: Nineteen sixty six, we had the car accident. Des was 169 00:10:20,721 --> 00:10:23,961 Speaker 6: still in per thin and he used to come over 170 00:10:23,961 --> 00:10:26,161 Speaker 6: to the hospital because I hadn't the spine broken. And 171 00:10:26,201 --> 00:10:27,841 Speaker 6: he used to come over to Beat every day and 172 00:10:27,921 --> 00:10:30,521 Speaker 6: see me with one of his mates, Rick older set 173 00:10:31,641 --> 00:10:36,721 Speaker 6: and Rick was called up into the army, so he 174 00:10:36,761 --> 00:10:39,361 Speaker 6: would have been eighteen. I was berthed by then, and 175 00:10:39,481 --> 00:10:41,961 Speaker 6: Dares wanted to go too, but he wasn't called up 176 00:10:42,041 --> 00:10:44,881 Speaker 6: because of medical problems and that he. 177 00:10:44,841 --> 00:10:49,521 Speaker 2: Apparently had more on DES's relationship with his best mate Rick. 178 00:10:49,721 --> 00:10:54,001 Speaker 2: In episode two, not only was Joy, DES's sister involved 179 00:10:54,041 --> 00:10:57,041 Speaker 2: in a car crash in nineteen sixty six, but des 180 00:10:57,201 --> 00:10:59,841 Speaker 2: was also involved in a car crash in the mid seventies. 181 00:11:00,761 --> 00:11:04,081 Speaker 2: It is possible that alcohol played a part in his crash, 182 00:11:04,521 --> 00:11:07,761 Speaker 2: although back in those days there was no random breath testing, 183 00:11:08,201 --> 00:11:11,041 Speaker 2: and so it's possible that des was drink driving when 184 00:11:11,081 --> 00:11:15,001 Speaker 2: he had his car accident. The details of the accident 185 00:11:15,081 --> 00:11:17,841 Speaker 2: are sketchy, but what I do know is no one 186 00:11:17,841 --> 00:11:22,241 Speaker 2: else was injured. Joy, Deser's sister, sheds more light on 187 00:11:22,321 --> 00:11:26,161 Speaker 2: what happened. We're talking that he had a car crash 188 00:11:26,241 --> 00:11:29,361 Speaker 2: and you don't remember where that was. Was he badly injured? 189 00:11:30,241 --> 00:11:31,561 Speaker 6: I think he had concussion. 190 00:11:33,081 --> 00:11:36,521 Speaker 2: This wouldn't be the only concussion he received just before 191 00:11:36,561 --> 00:11:39,841 Speaker 2: he disappeared. There was another incident that could have led 192 00:11:39,841 --> 00:11:45,001 Speaker 2: to his disappearance. We'll explore that in episode two. For now, 193 00:11:45,241 --> 00:11:49,201 Speaker 2: let's mark down concussion as a possible reason for Deser's disappearance. 194 00:11:50,881 --> 00:11:54,361 Speaker 2: There is a theme emerging around DES's relationship with alcohol. 195 00:11:55,281 --> 00:11:57,641 Speaker 2: We heard from both his sisters that Dez had a 196 00:11:57,721 --> 00:12:02,201 Speaker 2: drinking problem of sorts. This problem only really emerged when 197 00:12:02,201 --> 00:12:06,601 Speaker 2: he moved up north to work. Each year in Australia, 198 00:12:07,001 --> 00:12:10,441 Speaker 2: tens of thousands of people go missing loved ones that 199 00:12:10,481 --> 00:12:14,441 Speaker 2: have simply up and vanished with no sight, no record 200 00:12:14,481 --> 00:12:18,881 Speaker 2: of their last movements. Susie is from Leave a Light 201 00:12:18,921 --> 00:12:22,161 Speaker 2: on Ink, a Facebook group that helps connect long term 202 00:12:22,161 --> 00:12:26,041 Speaker 2: missing people's stories and their families. She told me what 203 00:12:26,201 --> 00:12:28,681 Speaker 2: she does to help in the search for a missing person. 204 00:12:29,881 --> 00:12:34,041 Speaker 7: We aim to raise awareness of long term missing persons 205 00:12:34,401 --> 00:12:37,641 Speaker 7: and provide support for families suffering the ambiguous loss of 206 00:12:37,721 --> 00:12:42,961 Speaker 7: their loved ones. We endeavor to try and create media 207 00:12:43,361 --> 00:12:47,441 Speaker 7: publicity for long term missing persons, sus We also work 208 00:12:47,481 --> 00:12:51,081 Speaker 7: alongside the Australian Federal plase ensuring that long term missing 209 00:12:51,121 --> 00:12:54,521 Speaker 7: persons are listed onto their database. We also work with 210 00:12:54,641 --> 00:13:01,161 Speaker 7: families to help to find answers for them for questions 211 00:13:01,201 --> 00:13:05,961 Speaker 7: that they might have that they struggle to find information for. Plus, 212 00:13:06,001 --> 00:13:10,521 Speaker 7: we also liaised with the families sort of as an 213 00:13:10,881 --> 00:13:14,641 Speaker 7: intermediate between them and the jung FED or police and 214 00:13:15,161 --> 00:13:16,441 Speaker 7: missing persons units. 215 00:13:16,721 --> 00:13:20,601 Speaker 2: So there are at the moment thirty eight thousand people 216 00:13:20,681 --> 00:13:24,521 Speaker 2: reported missing each year in Australia. Not of those, a 217 00:13:24,561 --> 00:13:27,441 Speaker 2: small portion of them is what you call long term 218 00:13:27,481 --> 00:13:30,761 Speaker 2: missing persons. What does a long term missing person mean? 219 00:13:30,961 --> 00:13:34,961 Speaker 7: That they've been missing for longer than three months? And 220 00:13:35,561 --> 00:13:39,281 Speaker 7: there's approximately one percent of that thirty eight thousands that 221 00:13:39,401 --> 00:13:42,281 Speaker 7: go missing every year that aren't located that end up 222 00:13:42,281 --> 00:13:47,161 Speaker 7: falling into that long term missing persons category. Currently, there's 223 00:13:47,361 --> 00:13:51,441 Speaker 7: over two thousand, six hundreds long term missing persons in Australia. 224 00:13:51,641 --> 00:13:54,001 Speaker 2: When you think about what changes a person can go 225 00:13:54,081 --> 00:13:58,201 Speaker 2: through in forty years, it's almost impossible to imagine what 226 00:13:58,321 --> 00:14:01,081 Speaker 2: Dees would be like now, What would he look like, 227 00:14:01,641 --> 00:14:05,801 Speaker 2: what interests would he have? Dees is not alone in 228 00:14:05,881 --> 00:14:06,801 Speaker 2: being missing. 229 00:14:06,481 --> 00:14:07,561 Speaker 5: For forty years. 230 00:14:08,041 --> 00:14:11,241 Speaker 2: Susie from Leave a Light On shares her own experience 231 00:14:11,361 --> 00:14:13,041 Speaker 2: with a long term missing person. 232 00:14:14,161 --> 00:14:16,561 Speaker 7: My sister Joanne was eleven years old when she was 233 00:14:16,641 --> 00:14:20,521 Speaker 7: kidnapped from the Adelaide Oval in nineteen seventy three. So 234 00:14:20,601 --> 00:14:24,241 Speaker 7: as a legacy to her and also as a legacy 235 00:14:24,321 --> 00:14:27,721 Speaker 7: to all the other long term missing persons here in Australia, 236 00:14:28,001 --> 00:14:30,641 Speaker 7: we created Leave a Lot On to help raise awareness 237 00:14:30,681 --> 00:14:34,761 Speaker 7: and give supports family. I was actually born fourteen months 238 00:14:34,761 --> 00:14:37,401 Speaker 7: after my sister disappeared, so I never had the opportunity 239 00:14:37,481 --> 00:14:40,201 Speaker 7: to meet her. My family used to go to the 240 00:14:40,241 --> 00:14:44,721 Speaker 7: football nearly every week, and this day they'd gone to 241 00:14:44,761 --> 00:14:47,561 Speaker 7: the football. They always sat in the same sort of area. 242 00:14:48,161 --> 00:14:51,041 Speaker 7: They'd met a lady years before and made quite good 243 00:14:51,081 --> 00:14:54,081 Speaker 7: friends with her. She was there that day with her granddaughter. 244 00:14:54,641 --> 00:14:56,641 Speaker 7: Her granddaughter needed to go to the toilet, so my 245 00:14:56,761 --> 00:15:00,441 Speaker 7: sister offered to take her. After a few minutes, they returned, 246 00:15:00,521 --> 00:15:03,121 Speaker 7: and then later in the game, Cursy, who was four 247 00:15:03,201 --> 00:15:06,841 Speaker 7: years old, to go to the toilet again, so Joanne 248 00:15:06,881 --> 00:15:09,361 Speaker 7: once again took her to the toilet, but unfortunately this 249 00:15:09,401 --> 00:15:14,641 Speaker 7: time they didn't return. My mum, brother and dad had 250 00:15:14,681 --> 00:15:19,401 Speaker 7: a bit an extensive search of the ground and unfortunately 251 00:15:19,401 --> 00:15:22,761 Speaker 7: couldn't locate her. So she was reporting to think along 252 00:15:22,801 --> 00:15:23,281 Speaker 7: with Percy. 253 00:15:23,761 --> 00:15:27,121 Speaker 2: Since then, there's never been a sighting, never been any 254 00:15:27,161 --> 00:15:28,961 Speaker 2: news about both the girls. 255 00:15:29,081 --> 00:15:32,161 Speaker 7: Over the years, There's been a number of suspects that 256 00:15:32,401 --> 00:15:35,841 Speaker 7: the police have investigated. Unfortunately there hasn't been enough evidence 257 00:15:35,881 --> 00:15:39,441 Speaker 7: to charge anyone, and sadly there hasn't been enough evidence 258 00:15:39,441 --> 00:15:43,601 Speaker 7: to locate either or Joanne. The girls were seen leaving 259 00:15:43,641 --> 00:15:47,761 Speaker 7: the oval with a tall, stooped man in his late 260 00:15:47,801 --> 00:15:51,561 Speaker 7: thirties and early forties. Kirsty was being carried by this 261 00:15:51,641 --> 00:15:55,001 Speaker 7: gentleman and Joanne was struggling with him, pulling on his 262 00:15:55,121 --> 00:15:57,441 Speaker 7: arm and quite trying to get him to drop thirsty 263 00:15:58,321 --> 00:16:00,561 Speaker 7: and there were a number of witnesses that come forward 264 00:16:00,761 --> 00:16:06,721 Speaker 7: to verify this information. But unfortunately the suspect for the 265 00:16:06,721 --> 00:16:09,881 Speaker 7: girls have been located over the forty six years. 266 00:16:10,161 --> 00:16:12,841 Speaker 2: It doesn't make it any easier. But I guess you 267 00:16:12,961 --> 00:16:18,841 Speaker 2: have some knowledge around what happened because someone saw something 268 00:16:19,001 --> 00:16:21,921 Speaker 2: and that the girls were taken from the oval. So 269 00:16:22,761 --> 00:16:25,361 Speaker 2: what happens after that moment, it's hard to suppose and 270 00:16:25,401 --> 00:16:28,401 Speaker 2: you don't want to think about, but I guess that's 271 00:16:28,401 --> 00:16:30,881 Speaker 2: a little bit of information. And that's not always the 272 00:16:30,881 --> 00:16:32,321 Speaker 2: case with long term missing people. 273 00:16:32,561 --> 00:16:32,721 Speaker 5: No. 274 00:16:33,001 --> 00:16:35,121 Speaker 7: Unfortunately, there are a lot of people that go missing 275 00:16:35,121 --> 00:16:39,521 Speaker 7: that seems to just vanishing sin here and nothing is seen, 276 00:16:39,641 --> 00:16:42,481 Speaker 7: there's no evidence left behind, there's no information. 277 00:16:43,361 --> 00:16:48,121 Speaker 2: And that's exactly what happened to Dez. He just vanished. 278 00:16:50,041 --> 00:16:53,281 Speaker 2: So did he go walk about, did he want to disappear? 279 00:16:54,081 --> 00:16:56,921 Speaker 2: Or is there something more sinister behind his disappearance. 280 00:16:57,881 --> 00:17:01,401 Speaker 4: So this particular day, they dropped off at the certain 281 00:17:01,441 --> 00:17:04,241 Speaker 4: place did he had to go to. He had his water, 282 00:17:04,361 --> 00:17:07,081 Speaker 4: he had his food, dude, and they came to pick 283 00:17:07,121 --> 00:17:13,161 Speaker 4: these up that afternoon. No nowhere to be found, just 284 00:17:13,281 --> 00:17:15,241 Speaker 4: like someone plucked him up, you. 285 00:17:15,160 --> 00:17:19,400 Speaker 2: Know, Dez had three sisters. He grew up in a 286 00:17:19,441 --> 00:17:22,960 Speaker 2: small country town in Wa. He was a normal country 287 00:17:23,001 --> 00:17:25,441 Speaker 2: boy who grew into a young man who liked hanging 288 00:17:25,481 --> 00:17:27,840 Speaker 2: out with his mates, playing a bit of footye, and 289 00:17:27,880 --> 00:17:32,201 Speaker 2: getting up to childhood mischief. His middle sister, Joy, has 290 00:17:32,281 --> 00:17:35,080 Speaker 2: her memories of des in those early days living. 291 00:17:34,880 --> 00:17:35,360 Speaker 5: In New York. 292 00:17:36,281 --> 00:17:37,001 Speaker 8: Oh, it was great. 293 00:17:37,441 --> 00:17:40,400 Speaker 6: Every year we used to get floods just about We 294 00:17:40,441 --> 00:17:43,361 Speaker 6: lived on the opposite side of the river to the school, 295 00:17:44,360 --> 00:17:47,761 Speaker 6: and we loved having floods because the bridges would be 296 00:17:47,801 --> 00:17:49,240 Speaker 6: covered and we didn't have to go to school. 297 00:17:49,761 --> 00:17:50,400 Speaker 8: That was great. 298 00:17:51,561 --> 00:17:54,241 Speaker 6: Yeah, No, it was good. And we had our grandparents, 299 00:17:54,281 --> 00:17:57,961 Speaker 6: my mum's parents living just out a little way out 300 00:17:58,001 --> 00:18:01,241 Speaker 6: of town and with a really great joy to go out. 301 00:18:01,281 --> 00:18:01,521 Speaker 4: There. 302 00:18:01,880 --> 00:18:06,360 Speaker 6: Had a big well back of the house, and there's 303 00:18:06,521 --> 00:18:08,440 Speaker 6: being a little boy used to like to try and 304 00:18:08,521 --> 00:18:12,521 Speaker 6: climb up this windmill thing, and he would always get 305 00:18:12,600 --> 00:18:15,561 Speaker 6: roused at. He still kept doing it, but he didn't 306 00:18:15,600 --> 00:18:17,521 Speaker 6: do any harm as it turned out, But they were 307 00:18:17,521 --> 00:18:19,801 Speaker 6: frightened that some of the boards on top of the 308 00:18:19,801 --> 00:18:24,321 Speaker 6: well might have given away. Yeah, it would always make 309 00:18:24,400 --> 00:18:26,640 Speaker 6: something excuse for him to come and play with us. 310 00:18:27,041 --> 00:18:30,080 Speaker 6: He didn't like playing with dogs, like all boys, you know, 311 00:18:30,321 --> 00:18:35,080 Speaker 6: liked playing rough games marbles and that. In fact, I 312 00:18:35,120 --> 00:18:35,840 Speaker 6: can remember. 313 00:18:36,041 --> 00:18:36,801 Speaker 1: I don't know how. 314 00:18:36,681 --> 00:18:41,160 Speaker 6: Old I was. Theirs had the measles, and we used 315 00:18:41,201 --> 00:18:43,120 Speaker 6: to go into the bedroom with in Gwin and I 316 00:18:43,201 --> 00:18:45,961 Speaker 6: and play and throw around. He pushed me one day 317 00:18:46,001 --> 00:18:48,400 Speaker 6: and he put his knee up and he hit me 318 00:18:48,441 --> 00:18:50,600 Speaker 6: in the mouth and knocked on two front ties out. 319 00:18:52,801 --> 00:18:56,561 Speaker 2: So Daz was an explorer and an adventurer. He didn't 320 00:18:56,561 --> 00:18:59,681 Speaker 2: seem like he was afraid to take risks. As Darz 321 00:18:59,761 --> 00:19:02,680 Speaker 2: grew older, he developed a bit of a loner mentality. 322 00:19:03,600 --> 00:19:07,440 Speaker 2: He had friends, but that group of friends was small. 323 00:19:07,561 --> 00:19:11,600 Speaker 2: His best friend in the early seventies was Rick. Des 324 00:19:11,600 --> 00:19:13,761 Speaker 2: and Rick would hang out together and get into a 325 00:19:13,801 --> 00:19:17,321 Speaker 2: bit of trouble, nothing serious, just what we'd call alarican 326 00:19:17,400 --> 00:19:22,360 Speaker 2: these days. As we heard in episode one, DES's best mate, 327 00:19:22,441 --> 00:19:26,321 Speaker 2: Rick was called up to Vietnam. Des wasn't because of 328 00:19:26,360 --> 00:19:31,241 Speaker 2: some unconfirmed medical issues. While Rick was stationed in Vietnam, 329 00:19:31,441 --> 00:19:36,241 Speaker 2: something happened, something that affected DES's emotional state that could 330 00:19:36,281 --> 00:19:39,561 Speaker 2: have contributed to his disappearance in nineteen seventy nine. 331 00:19:40,840 --> 00:19:45,960 Speaker 6: Rick was only overseas in Vietnam for oh, just two 332 00:19:46,080 --> 00:19:48,200 Speaker 6: or three months. I think it wasn't he was killed 333 00:19:51,880 --> 00:19:55,120 Speaker 6: that really hit is hard, and I think that's when 334 00:19:55,160 --> 00:19:57,880 Speaker 6: he started to go drinking a bit more than what 335 00:19:57,921 --> 00:19:58,521 Speaker 6: he should have been. 336 00:19:59,561 --> 00:20:02,881 Speaker 2: Death often has a way of triggering emotion that might 337 00:20:02,961 --> 00:20:06,920 Speaker 2: not normally appear. In de Us case, it wasn't just 338 00:20:06,961 --> 00:20:10,921 Speaker 2: an emotion that was triggered. It was drinking. Dez started 339 00:20:11,001 --> 00:20:16,080 Speaker 2: drinking and drinking hard. Was Dez drinking to forget or 340 00:20:16,201 --> 00:20:20,201 Speaker 2: drinking to dull the Paine? Whatever his reason, his family 341 00:20:20,241 --> 00:20:28,840 Speaker 2: feel this may have contributed to his disappearance. At this 342 00:20:28,961 --> 00:20:31,600 Speaker 2: point in the podcast, I think it's important to call 343 00:20:31,640 --> 00:20:35,761 Speaker 2: out a few things. There is a certain significance with 344 00:20:35,840 --> 00:20:39,520 Speaker 2: this story that I'm attached to. We will explore that 345 00:20:39,761 --> 00:20:43,720 Speaker 2: in later episodes. But it's fair to say this story 346 00:20:43,801 --> 00:20:46,600 Speaker 2: is not just intriguing to me. It's played a part 347 00:20:46,640 --> 00:20:51,080 Speaker 2: in my life for a long time. Let's get to 348 00:20:51,120 --> 00:20:56,001 Speaker 2: the disappearance. It was an evening in late June nineteen 349 00:20:56,041 --> 00:20:59,761 Speaker 2: seventy nine at Thangu station in out back Western Australia. 350 00:21:00,761 --> 00:21:03,961 Speaker 2: Dez had finished work on his steamroller. After working in 351 00:21:04,001 --> 00:21:08,120 Speaker 2: the hot suny himself on a road stretching fifty kilometers 352 00:21:10,041 --> 00:21:12,761 Speaker 2: it was an unsealed road, and Desert's roll at this 353 00:21:12,880 --> 00:21:16,001 Speaker 2: time was to steam roll the road flat and from 354 00:21:16,041 --> 00:21:19,881 Speaker 2: there a team would come in and lay down hot ashphalt. 355 00:21:21,561 --> 00:21:25,041 Speaker 2: Then the road would be classed as sealed. You can 356 00:21:25,041 --> 00:21:27,640 Speaker 2: see pictures of that red dirt that would soon become 357 00:21:27,640 --> 00:21:33,521 Speaker 2: a sealed road on our website. Whereas dez dot com, 358 00:21:33,681 --> 00:21:36,720 Speaker 2: Thangu's station was the meeting point for the main roads 359 00:21:36,721 --> 00:21:39,480 Speaker 2: department and where workers from all over the stretch of 360 00:21:39,521 --> 00:21:44,120 Speaker 2: highway were stationed. Most nights, it was the same get 361 00:21:44,160 --> 00:21:47,041 Speaker 2: back from the road, have some grub in the mess hall, 362 00:21:47,561 --> 00:21:51,761 Speaker 2: have some beers and hit the sack. These days, drinking 363 00:21:51,840 --> 00:21:53,960 Speaker 2: while being a fly and fly at worker is not 364 00:21:54,080 --> 00:21:57,920 Speaker 2: tolerated for good reason. Most fly and fly out workers 365 00:21:57,961 --> 00:22:00,880 Speaker 2: are breathlyzed before they start a shift and they must 366 00:22:00,921 --> 00:22:04,681 Speaker 2: have a reading of zero. In fact, most FIFO workers 367 00:22:04,761 --> 00:22:07,640 Speaker 2: are not allowed to drink while they're on roster. It's 368 00:22:07,681 --> 00:22:09,880 Speaker 2: only when they're on the leave that they can unwind. 369 00:22:11,001 --> 00:22:14,441 Speaker 2: That's now, But in nineteen seventy nine the rules were different, 370 00:22:14,961 --> 00:22:19,080 Speaker 2: mainly because there were no rules. You could get drunk 371 00:22:19,481 --> 00:22:22,241 Speaker 2: head to work the next day and not be breath tested. 372 00:22:23,041 --> 00:22:27,521 Speaker 4: Mom and Dad were worried about him drinking, but that's 373 00:22:27,561 --> 00:22:30,120 Speaker 4: a depthural thing. All the young blokes up there, you 374 00:22:30,241 --> 00:22:32,200 Speaker 4: go to work through the day. It didn't interfere with 375 00:22:32,281 --> 00:22:35,360 Speaker 4: his job. They all had a beer of a night time, 376 00:22:35,521 --> 00:22:37,561 Speaker 4: So how can you do you know? 377 00:22:39,080 --> 00:22:41,961 Speaker 2: In June nineteen seventy nine, a few months before he 378 00:22:42,041 --> 00:22:45,080 Speaker 2: went missing, Dez had finished writing a letter to his 379 00:22:45,160 --> 00:22:47,840 Speaker 2: mum and dad and had decided to head into the 380 00:22:47,880 --> 00:22:51,561 Speaker 2: nearest town, Derby, which was a little under forty kilometers 381 00:22:51,561 --> 00:22:55,481 Speaker 2: from the station. It was a Friday night, and after 382 00:22:55,521 --> 00:22:58,160 Speaker 2: a long week at work, it was finally time to 383 00:22:58,241 --> 00:23:02,761 Speaker 2: unwind at about ten pm. From the records and interviews 384 00:23:02,801 --> 00:23:07,001 Speaker 2: that were conducted around the time, was a fight. There 385 00:23:07,041 --> 00:23:09,561 Speaker 2: is no record of who was in the fight and 386 00:23:09,600 --> 00:23:13,321 Speaker 2: why it occurred, but whatever happened, it didn't end well 387 00:23:13,360 --> 00:23:16,880 Speaker 2: for des He suffered a cut on the head, a 388 00:23:17,001 --> 00:23:20,281 Speaker 2: cut so bad he needed to be taken to Derby Hospital. 389 00:23:20,921 --> 00:23:23,561 Speaker 2: This head knock is well documented in the police reports 390 00:23:23,600 --> 00:23:27,360 Speaker 2: back from nineteen seventy nine. The detective in charge back 391 00:23:27,400 --> 00:23:30,721 Speaker 2: then is now eighty two years old and retired. He 392 00:23:30,761 --> 00:23:33,360 Speaker 2: put us in touch with the current detective in charge 393 00:23:33,400 --> 00:23:38,041 Speaker 2: of missing Persons in wa Detective Sergeant Jude Sevright, she 394 00:23:38,241 --> 00:23:40,761 Speaker 2: shared some information from his missing person's file. 395 00:23:41,921 --> 00:23:45,921 Speaker 8: A missing person's reports was compiled by a Sergeant Pethick 396 00:23:46,481 --> 00:23:49,281 Speaker 8: who was attached to Brim Police station at the time, 397 00:23:50,080 --> 00:23:55,561 Speaker 8: and his inquiries has shown that before Des went missing, 398 00:23:56,840 --> 00:24:02,241 Speaker 8: he was apparently suffering from quite terrible headaches, so the 399 00:24:02,961 --> 00:24:07,840 Speaker 8: sergeants contacted Broom Hospital and he was advised that back 400 00:24:07,840 --> 00:24:10,561 Speaker 8: on the twenty third of June, in only seventy nine, 401 00:24:11,160 --> 00:24:14,720 Speaker 8: that Des was treated by a doctor for an injury 402 00:24:14,801 --> 00:24:18,801 Speaker 8: to his right temple, which according to the notes stated 403 00:24:18,840 --> 00:24:21,521 Speaker 8: that he received in a fight, and the next ray 404 00:24:21,600 --> 00:24:24,280 Speaker 8: was taken at the time, but it revealed that there 405 00:24:24,321 --> 00:24:29,401 Speaker 8: wasn't It was negative for any fractures and he received 406 00:24:29,400 --> 00:24:33,241 Speaker 8: no further treatment. From the notes that I'm being made 407 00:24:33,241 --> 00:24:37,241 Speaker 8: aware of, he was advised to return to the hospital 408 00:24:37,241 --> 00:24:39,801 Speaker 8: for follow up, but I don't believe that Des did 409 00:24:39,840 --> 00:24:45,281 Speaker 8: return to the hospital following that. Another check with Derby 410 00:24:45,640 --> 00:24:49,880 Speaker 8: Hospital revealed that he was treated there on the twenty 411 00:24:50,120 --> 00:24:53,680 Speaker 8: first of the next month in July and again suffering 412 00:24:53,721 --> 00:24:58,440 Speaker 8: from headaches and apparently had some sort of infected lesion 413 00:24:59,160 --> 00:25:03,160 Speaker 8: on his right scalp through which he was treated with 414 00:25:03,321 --> 00:25:06,241 Speaker 8: antibiotics and it was quested to return to the hospital 415 00:25:06,721 --> 00:25:09,481 Speaker 8: in a few days. From my understanding, he didn't return. 416 00:25:09,761 --> 00:25:13,481 Speaker 2: It's interesting that there's a month between him first presenting 417 00:25:13,561 --> 00:25:15,801 Speaker 2: to Broome Hospital on the twenty third of June in 418 00:25:15,961 --> 00:25:19,160 Speaker 2: nineteen seventy nine and then presenting again in Derby a 419 00:25:19,201 --> 00:25:24,241 Speaker 2: month later with a similar sort of area and this 420 00:25:24,360 --> 00:25:28,961 Speaker 2: was back from that fight that happened around the June 421 00:25:29,001 --> 00:25:29,961 Speaker 2: time in seventy nine. 422 00:25:30,041 --> 00:25:33,201 Speaker 8: Yeah, he seems to be having this continuing similar symptoms 423 00:25:33,201 --> 00:25:37,321 Speaker 8: that he's presenting for. And then from what I understand, 424 00:25:37,321 --> 00:25:41,600 Speaker 8: on the first of August in nineteen seventy nine, he 425 00:25:42,681 --> 00:25:45,681 Speaker 8: was so unwell from his headaches that he was unable 426 00:25:45,721 --> 00:25:49,201 Speaker 8: to tend to work, so he remained at the camp 427 00:25:49,241 --> 00:25:52,281 Speaker 8: all that day. And it's also believe that he hasn't 428 00:25:52,721 --> 00:25:56,001 Speaker 8: around that time, he wasn't eating well. I'm assuming this 429 00:25:56,041 --> 00:25:58,201 Speaker 8: is to do with the fact that he wasn't well 430 00:25:58,201 --> 00:26:02,081 Speaker 8: and it maybe maybe to do with what you've mentioned 431 00:26:02,721 --> 00:26:04,241 Speaker 8: or related to the headache symptoms. 432 00:26:04,321 --> 00:26:07,721 Speaker 2: Is there any extra detail on the fight, because Frank Carr, 433 00:26:07,761 --> 00:26:12,321 Speaker 2: Desmond's dad, said that a chair fell on him and 434 00:26:12,321 --> 00:26:14,041 Speaker 2: this is how Frank recounts the story. 435 00:26:14,160 --> 00:26:16,080 Speaker 8: I read that in the newspaper article, but I'm not 436 00:26:16,120 --> 00:26:20,001 Speaker 8: sure where that information has come from. It's not I 437 00:26:20,001 --> 00:26:22,281 Speaker 8: don't have any other information about that in the file. 438 00:26:22,521 --> 00:26:25,321 Speaker 2: So the police report is that the reason that he 439 00:26:25,441 --> 00:26:28,441 Speaker 2: had a bump on the head was not from a chair, 440 00:26:28,640 --> 00:26:29,360 Speaker 2: but from a fight. 441 00:26:30,080 --> 00:26:31,761 Speaker 8: That's what's written in the report here. 442 00:26:33,321 --> 00:26:36,201 Speaker 2: What is the most interesting here is that this detail 443 00:26:36,241 --> 00:26:38,840 Speaker 2: of the fight is different than what the family believe 444 00:26:38,921 --> 00:26:40,761 Speaker 2: happened to him and how he got a bump on 445 00:26:40,801 --> 00:26:43,640 Speaker 2: the head, a bump bad enough to be sent to 446 00:26:43,721 --> 00:26:52,480 Speaker 2: hospital twice in as many months. On August second, nineteen 447 00:26:52,521 --> 00:26:56,001 Speaker 2: seventy nine, although still not feeling one hundred percent, des 448 00:26:56,080 --> 00:26:58,921 Speaker 2: was picked up from the camp along with the other workers. 449 00:26:59,681 --> 00:27:01,880 Speaker 2: He had not complained of any headaches on the morning. 450 00:27:02,481 --> 00:27:05,041 Speaker 2: He was suffering mild diarrhea from the earlier in fact, 451 00:27:05,481 --> 00:27:08,121 Speaker 2: from the bump on the head. However, he still went 452 00:27:08,160 --> 00:27:11,720 Speaker 2: out to work on the roller. Each workout would be 453 00:27:11,761 --> 00:27:15,281 Speaker 2: dropped off at a designated machine on the highway. Today, 454 00:27:15,761 --> 00:27:18,880 Speaker 2: Dez was driving a roller. It was just him on 455 00:27:18,961 --> 00:27:23,041 Speaker 2: a stretch of road that was around ten kilometers ten 456 00:27:23,120 --> 00:27:31,001 Speaker 2: kilometers of highway with just Dez and his roller with him. 457 00:27:31,001 --> 00:27:33,480 Speaker 2: On that day. He had his lunch packed and a 458 00:27:33,481 --> 00:27:36,360 Speaker 2: blue water bottle, the kind that was made of foam. 459 00:27:36,921 --> 00:27:40,561 Speaker 2: He was wearing black shorts, a red shirt, and brown 460 00:27:40,600 --> 00:27:48,281 Speaker 2: boots with a bucket hat. The time was eight thirty am. 461 00:27:48,561 --> 00:27:51,521 Speaker 2: At three pm that same day, the truck that dropped 462 00:27:51,521 --> 00:27:53,960 Speaker 2: Dez off in the morning had driven past him to 463 00:27:54,001 --> 00:27:56,200 Speaker 2: head out to pick up the other workers from a 464 00:27:56,241 --> 00:27:59,760 Speaker 2: further post, and they saw him working on the roller. 465 00:28:00,880 --> 00:28:03,840 Speaker 2: By four pm, when the truck returned to pick him up, 466 00:28:04,241 --> 00:28:14,561 Speaker 2: des had disappeared. That's exactly how Shirley, his little sister, 467 00:28:14,640 --> 00:28:15,521 Speaker 2: remembers it. 468 00:28:16,281 --> 00:28:20,321 Speaker 4: Because he's worked for the main roads department. They dropped 469 00:28:20,360 --> 00:28:22,680 Speaker 4: them off of the morning at a certain place with 470 00:28:22,801 --> 00:28:25,400 Speaker 4: all their water and their food and that for the day. 471 00:28:26,481 --> 00:28:29,640 Speaker 4: So this particular day, they dropped Theirs off at a 472 00:28:29,681 --> 00:28:32,280 Speaker 4: certain place that he had to go to. He had 473 00:28:32,360 --> 00:28:36,161 Speaker 4: his water, he had his food, he had his boots, 474 00:28:36,160 --> 00:28:40,200 Speaker 4: and that on dropped him off, went down further and 475 00:28:40,241 --> 00:28:41,401 Speaker 4: dropped other people off. 476 00:28:41,441 --> 00:28:42,401 Speaker 5: You know they do that. 477 00:28:43,401 --> 00:28:46,001 Speaker 4: I think it's one or two people, but Theirs was 478 00:28:46,001 --> 00:28:49,761 Speaker 4: the only one by himself, and they did that and 479 00:28:50,561 --> 00:28:54,321 Speaker 4: just went back to their camp. When they came to 480 00:28:54,321 --> 00:28:58,561 Speaker 4: pick Theirs up, that night, all that afternoon, no nowhere 481 00:28:58,561 --> 00:29:03,641 Speaker 4: to be found, just like someone plucked him up. You know, 482 00:29:04,681 --> 00:29:07,521 Speaker 4: steam roll was still running on the side of the 483 00:29:07,601 --> 00:29:11,321 Speaker 4: road that had been on that was the actual motor 484 00:29:11,481 --> 00:29:14,440 Speaker 4: was still going. Then they thought, well, okay, he's going 485 00:29:14,481 --> 00:29:15,481 Speaker 4: to be here somewhere. 486 00:29:19,121 --> 00:29:22,761 Speaker 2: It's not often that something just ups and vanishes on 487 00:29:22,801 --> 00:29:26,561 Speaker 2: a deserted stretch of road with no food, no water, 488 00:29:27,401 --> 00:29:32,440 Speaker 2: no shelter, and thirty kilometers from the closest camp. But 489 00:29:32,521 --> 00:29:33,761 Speaker 2: that's what happened to Daz. 490 00:29:34,641 --> 00:29:36,960 Speaker 4: What they told us that he'd probably wanted to go 491 00:29:37,041 --> 00:29:39,961 Speaker 4: to the toilet or something to relieve himself. So he's 492 00:29:39,961 --> 00:29:43,721 Speaker 4: probably just walked over in the bush and didn't come back. 493 00:29:45,041 --> 00:29:49,161 Speaker 4: He the police and that were called straightaway. They were 494 00:29:49,161 --> 00:29:56,601 Speaker 4: there within an hour. They looked everywhere, so many kilometers 495 00:29:56,641 --> 00:29:59,681 Speaker 4: around that area. They just didn't look at that certain place. 496 00:29:59,761 --> 00:30:02,681 Speaker 4: They went inland, they went on the other side of 497 00:30:02,681 --> 00:30:06,801 Speaker 4: the road, and I think there was seventeen of them 498 00:30:08,121 --> 00:30:12,960 Speaker 4: to look at the area where the last time he 499 00:30:13,041 --> 00:30:19,440 Speaker 4: was seen, and nobody found anything. No tracks, there was 500 00:30:19,521 --> 00:30:22,041 Speaker 4: no you know, like he had big boots in that 501 00:30:22,161 --> 00:30:26,001 Speaker 4: on there's no tracks at all. If they had a band, 502 00:30:26,321 --> 00:30:30,200 Speaker 4: we probably would have found him, even the manager or 503 00:30:30,201 --> 00:30:34,240 Speaker 4: whatever he said. He said, he's like something's pucked him 504 00:30:34,281 --> 00:30:39,441 Speaker 4: off them upstairs. Someone's just come down and pull him up. 505 00:30:40,241 --> 00:30:43,480 Speaker 4: And because that was a silly thing, we didn't believe 506 00:30:43,521 --> 00:30:46,321 Speaker 4: any of that. You know, that doesn't happen. It just 507 00:30:46,361 --> 00:30:51,401 Speaker 4: doesn't happen. But as the years went on, we thought, well, 508 00:30:51,481 --> 00:30:57,521 Speaker 4: if he's not deceased under a bush or something like that, 509 00:30:58,361 --> 00:31:01,441 Speaker 4: where's the other place. If you go. 510 00:31:03,001 --> 00:31:06,081 Speaker 2: You might notice there are some gaps when the exact 511 00:31:06,081 --> 00:31:10,041 Speaker 2: detail of what the family remember and what was actually 512 00:31:10,081 --> 00:31:15,121 Speaker 2: documented in the police report over forty years ago. Detective 513 00:31:15,201 --> 00:31:19,081 Speaker 2: Sergeant Jude Severright explains the official report. 514 00:31:19,921 --> 00:31:24,721 Speaker 8: From what I understand from the report, he went to 515 00:31:24,761 --> 00:31:29,001 Speaker 8: work as usual on the second from information from a 516 00:31:29,001 --> 00:31:34,041 Speaker 8: colleague that he was not feeling well. He interacted with 517 00:31:34,481 --> 00:31:37,521 Speaker 8: his colleagues at morning tea time, spoke to several different persons. 518 00:31:37,521 --> 00:31:40,881 Speaker 8: He went back to the camp at lunchtime, though he 519 00:31:40,921 --> 00:31:44,841 Speaker 8: did not eat. From what I understand, and at about 520 00:31:45,081 --> 00:31:49,521 Speaker 8: two pm that day in the report it meant is 521 00:31:49,561 --> 00:31:51,361 Speaker 8: that he spoke to someone I'm not sure who that's 522 00:31:51,361 --> 00:31:53,561 Speaker 8: someone is and said I'll be back at the camp 523 00:31:53,761 --> 00:31:57,521 Speaker 8: in two hours and then at three pm, he was 524 00:31:57,561 --> 00:32:00,921 Speaker 8: working with four other persons from what I understand, didn't 525 00:32:00,921 --> 00:32:03,321 Speaker 8: speak to them at that time. I don't know why. 526 00:32:03,321 --> 00:32:07,321 Speaker 8: That's not elaborated in the report. They left him to 527 00:32:07,361 --> 00:32:11,841 Speaker 8: continue with his work the ruler. And then at four 528 00:32:11,881 --> 00:32:16,881 Speaker 8: pm that day, when our vehicles returned to the site 529 00:32:16,921 --> 00:32:20,721 Speaker 8: where Dez was working to collect him, he wasn't there. 530 00:32:20,921 --> 00:32:22,761 Speaker 8: It's just his roller parked in the middle of the road. 531 00:32:23,761 --> 00:32:26,361 Speaker 2: So that means there's a period of an hour from 532 00:32:26,761 --> 00:32:30,681 Speaker 2: three pm to four pm where essentially he's gone missing. 533 00:32:31,361 --> 00:32:32,241 Speaker 8: That's what I understand. 534 00:32:32,321 --> 00:32:35,361 Speaker 2: Yes, and so the gentlemen that were working with him 535 00:32:35,401 --> 00:32:38,041 Speaker 2: at the time, did they notice anything, or is there 536 00:32:38,041 --> 00:32:41,121 Speaker 2: anything in the reports about how he was feeling, or 537 00:32:41,161 --> 00:32:45,561 Speaker 2: whether he was whether he was himself and lucid, or 538 00:32:45,601 --> 00:32:49,121 Speaker 2: is there any information around what his state was that afternoon. 539 00:32:49,441 --> 00:32:52,161 Speaker 8: There is a comment in the report that he appeared 540 00:32:52,161 --> 00:32:55,521 Speaker 8: to be becoming a bit more irrational and abnormal. It's 541 00:32:55,601 --> 00:32:59,000 Speaker 8: not elaborated on, so I don't know what that actually means. 542 00:32:59,281 --> 00:33:04,001 Speaker 8: But then also in contradiction to that, to some degree, 543 00:33:04,321 --> 00:33:06,960 Speaker 8: apparently that day when he was speaking to certain people, 544 00:33:07,001 --> 00:33:10,441 Speaker 8: he seemed okay. So it's not a definitive either way 545 00:33:10,481 --> 00:33:13,681 Speaker 8: as to as to exactly how he was feeling. 546 00:33:15,001 --> 00:33:18,401 Speaker 2: So des may have been frazzled or a little irrational 547 00:33:18,561 --> 00:33:22,041 Speaker 2: on the day he went missing. However, if it just 548 00:33:22,161 --> 00:33:25,761 Speaker 2: walked off, surely if that had happened, there would be 549 00:33:25,761 --> 00:33:30,561 Speaker 2: a trace or a body or footprints. Remember, it wasn't 550 00:33:30,641 --> 00:33:33,521 Speaker 2: yet a sealed road des was working on. It was 551 00:33:33,561 --> 00:33:38,441 Speaker 2: a red dirt sand road, which would leave footprints if 552 00:33:38,481 --> 00:33:43,281 Speaker 2: someone had just walked off. To see pictures of the 553 00:33:43,321 --> 00:33:47,881 Speaker 2: area surrounding Deser's disappearance, head to our website. Whereas dez 554 00:33:48,041 --> 00:33:55,441 Speaker 2: dot com, no tracks and no traces of des were 555 00:33:55,481 --> 00:34:00,480 Speaker 2: ever found. You can only imagine how Deser's mum and 556 00:34:00,561 --> 00:34:05,161 Speaker 2: dad would feel once they learned of his disappearance. Both Shirley, 557 00:34:05,161 --> 00:34:09,481 Speaker 2: DES's younger sister, and Enjoy, his older sister, have different 558 00:34:09,521 --> 00:34:12,401 Speaker 2: accounts of how they found out their brother was missing. 559 00:34:13,161 --> 00:34:18,281 Speaker 4: I think his name was Colin, a good friend of Deser's. 560 00:34:19,281 --> 00:34:22,201 Speaker 4: He came around one day. Mum and dad were at 561 00:34:22,201 --> 00:34:27,441 Speaker 4: the back. Dad was pruning some trees there. He walked in, 562 00:34:27,681 --> 00:34:29,561 Speaker 4: walked out to Mum and dad, and then the next 563 00:34:29,561 --> 00:34:33,441 Speaker 4: minute I heard screams and I thought, oh, what's that? 564 00:34:33,761 --> 00:34:37,641 Speaker 4: So I raced around there. I was only twenty something, 565 00:34:38,601 --> 00:34:42,441 Speaker 4: and that he told us that Desert God missing, that 566 00:34:42,521 --> 00:34:46,921 Speaker 4: nobody knew where he was, nobody could find him, and 567 00:34:47,161 --> 00:34:51,241 Speaker 4: it just crumbled my mum and dad as well. But 568 00:34:51,361 --> 00:34:54,161 Speaker 4: we couldn't get any answers from and nobody knew anything 569 00:34:55,601 --> 00:34:58,641 Speaker 4: the main roads department. I mean they looked for him. 570 00:34:58,721 --> 00:34:59,121 Speaker 1: They did. 571 00:35:00,561 --> 00:35:04,121 Speaker 2: That's Shirley's version of how they found out, but over 572 00:35:04,201 --> 00:35:09,041 Speaker 2: forty years memories fade Joy had a different version of events. 573 00:35:09,881 --> 00:35:13,321 Speaker 6: I think the police came up and told us that 574 00:35:13,721 --> 00:35:17,641 Speaker 6: he went missing, but I can't really recall because it 575 00:35:17,681 --> 00:35:21,241 Speaker 6: was about about eleven o'clock at night, I think when 576 00:35:21,801 --> 00:35:23,881 Speaker 6: they came up and told us. So we just packed 577 00:35:23,921 --> 00:35:27,521 Speaker 6: up everything then and went straight off to Perth. And 578 00:35:27,761 --> 00:35:31,401 Speaker 6: we got up there and apparently a mum and dad 579 00:35:31,641 --> 00:35:34,121 Speaker 6: heard about it. The start off with from a friend 580 00:35:34,161 --> 00:35:37,881 Speaker 6: of Desert's up there wanting to know if you know 581 00:35:37,961 --> 00:35:43,321 Speaker 6: they'd heard from Dead because they'd found his greater and 582 00:35:43,401 --> 00:35:45,721 Speaker 6: that they're still running at the site of where he 583 00:35:45,881 --> 00:35:47,841 Speaker 6: was working. That's what I understand. 584 00:35:49,041 --> 00:35:52,281 Speaker 2: While researching this story, I was able to obtain an 585 00:35:52,321 --> 00:35:55,561 Speaker 2: ABC special on missing persons back from nineteen eighty one. 586 00:35:56,321 --> 00:35:59,761 Speaker 2: In this special, DES's dad, Frank and Dolly talk about 587 00:35:59,841 --> 00:36:01,241 Speaker 2: Dez and his disappearance. 588 00:36:05,961 --> 00:36:11,201 Speaker 1: He couldn't believe. I think that he was working on 589 00:36:11,241 --> 00:36:13,801 Speaker 1: a roll and with these infection that he had on 590 00:36:13,841 --> 00:36:16,321 Speaker 1: his head and with his severe headaches. He was getting 591 00:36:17,201 --> 00:36:21,681 Speaker 1: given any Andy brydeck for the infection. He got diarrhea 592 00:36:21,721 --> 00:36:24,881 Speaker 1: about it and what he's continuing out with wall Com. 593 00:36:25,001 --> 00:36:30,321 Speaker 1: The diarrhea when he got back on his machine grounded 594 00:36:30,401 --> 00:36:33,121 Speaker 1: the noise and the wrap around the vibrats and things 595 00:36:33,681 --> 00:36:35,881 Speaker 1: couldn't stand. He got off the machine and went and 596 00:36:35,921 --> 00:36:38,201 Speaker 1: laid in the bush. Probably would have gone a flat 597 00:36:39,121 --> 00:36:42,681 Speaker 1: when he woke up, and nobody about. I would probably 598 00:36:42,721 --> 00:36:47,641 Speaker 1: been just about on dark. And we think, and the 599 00:36:47,721 --> 00:36:51,401 Speaker 1: doctor's seek in Derby that he could have gone to 600 00:36:51,561 --> 00:36:56,321 Speaker 1: Nami or lost his temples and he's going out in 601 00:36:56,321 --> 00:36:59,481 Speaker 1: the road and someone and I think this is what 602 00:36:59,601 --> 00:37:03,401 Speaker 1: I believe is true, is that someone's picking him. You know. 603 00:37:03,681 --> 00:37:06,721 Speaker 1: The thing is that has he gone off or has 604 00:37:06,721 --> 00:37:10,241 Speaker 1: he gone out? We don't, Well, it's not a day 605 00:37:10,321 --> 00:37:12,761 Speaker 1: Gay's pass and I don't think of him. I often 606 00:37:12,841 --> 00:37:17,001 Speaker 1: get his faders out and he's not a name that 607 00:37:17,041 --> 00:37:18,201 Speaker 1: I don't think about. 608 00:37:20,401 --> 00:37:23,841 Speaker 2: Although almost forty years ago. You can hear the hope 609 00:37:23,841 --> 00:37:27,521 Speaker 2: in Frank and Dolly's voice, hoping that someone knows something, 610 00:37:28,241 --> 00:37:31,001 Speaker 2: that maybe he just got in someone's car and got 611 00:37:31,001 --> 00:37:35,441 Speaker 2: a lift somewhere. Maybe he's still out there somewhere living 612 00:37:35,481 --> 00:37:38,481 Speaker 2: a new life with no real memory of the family 613 00:37:38,681 --> 00:37:44,601 Speaker 2: and the life he left behind. This hope is something Joy, 614 00:37:44,961 --> 00:37:49,480 Speaker 2: Frank's daughter, also remembered, and it eventually led to Frank's death. 615 00:37:51,001 --> 00:37:55,440 Speaker 6: Oh horrified. Dad was beside himself and I still reckon 616 00:37:55,521 --> 00:37:57,841 Speaker 6: that killed Mum and Dad. You know that the shock 617 00:37:57,881 --> 00:38:00,961 Speaker 6: of it all. Had been up there with Gwynn and 618 00:38:01,121 --> 00:38:04,721 Speaker 6: they helped in the search, and I think they even 619 00:38:04,721 --> 00:38:07,841 Speaker 6: went up in the plane to search because the main 620 00:38:07,921 --> 00:38:13,641 Speaker 6: roads people didn't sort of go looking straight away because 621 00:38:13,681 --> 00:38:17,801 Speaker 6: his notre of his grader was still running when he 622 00:38:17,841 --> 00:38:19,481 Speaker 6: went off into the bush, and they just thought he 623 00:38:19,561 --> 00:38:23,401 Speaker 6: went off into the bush to relieve himself. And they 624 00:38:23,481 --> 00:38:25,721 Speaker 6: knocked off on the Friday and went back to their 625 00:38:26,641 --> 00:38:32,201 Speaker 6: huts and things, And when there's hadn't returned, somebody went 626 00:38:32,241 --> 00:38:35,001 Speaker 6: out looking for him. I gather, but there's no sign 627 00:38:35,081 --> 00:38:38,041 Speaker 6: of him, but his greater were still there, and I 628 00:38:38,081 --> 00:38:41,601 Speaker 6: think that's probably when they alerted the police. You know, 629 00:38:41,601 --> 00:38:44,681 Speaker 6: it was all very suss to start with, we thought, 630 00:38:46,401 --> 00:38:50,161 Speaker 6: not knowing what was going on, But after its Dad 631 00:38:50,201 --> 00:38:52,881 Speaker 6: and Gwen came back. We stayed in Perth and Dad 632 00:38:52,921 --> 00:38:55,761 Speaker 6: was going around everywhere, putting flyers and that around them 633 00:38:55,761 --> 00:39:00,601 Speaker 6: the different areas if anyone saw him, and then Gwen 634 00:39:00,761 --> 00:39:03,960 Speaker 6: suggested we bring mom and Dad down here. It's only 635 00:39:04,001 --> 00:39:07,481 Speaker 6: since Uncle Ron went that I've realized this that we 636 00:39:07,521 --> 00:39:09,281 Speaker 6: should have left them there to deal. 637 00:39:09,121 --> 00:39:09,801 Speaker 7: With it all. 638 00:39:11,281 --> 00:39:15,000 Speaker 6: Because when we were here, every time our phone rang 639 00:39:15,121 --> 00:39:17,881 Speaker 6: that Ron was on ambulance call as well as water 640 00:39:17,921 --> 00:39:22,121 Speaker 6: authority call out. And every time the phone ring, whether 641 00:39:22,121 --> 00:39:24,641 Speaker 6: it be day or night, Dad would say, I'll answer that. 642 00:39:24,641 --> 00:39:26,761 Speaker 6: That'll be for me. About dis what is. 643 00:39:26,801 --> 00:39:29,801 Speaker 2: Clear about Dez and his relationship with his family is 644 00:39:29,801 --> 00:39:33,281 Speaker 2: that he loved them and he missed them. Des wasn't 645 00:39:33,321 --> 00:39:35,561 Speaker 2: much of a writer, but as part of the search 646 00:39:35,641 --> 00:39:38,321 Speaker 2: for Dez, the family sent a copy of a letter 647 00:39:38,361 --> 00:39:41,841 Speaker 2: Des wrote in June nineteen seventy nine. It turns out 648 00:39:41,961 --> 00:39:45,201 Speaker 2: this was the day of his fight and consequence stayed hospital. 649 00:39:46,321 --> 00:39:49,081 Speaker 2: This note was given to police in nineteen eighty eight 650 00:39:49,481 --> 00:39:53,841 Speaker 2: as proof of DES's handwriting by his sister gwen DES's 651 00:39:53,921 --> 00:39:57,841 Speaker 2: mum Dolly starts reading the letter, Dear. 652 00:39:57,721 --> 00:40:01,561 Speaker 4: Mum and Dad, don't go shop. Well, as I finally 653 00:40:01,601 --> 00:40:05,041 Speaker 4: got around to writing, how is everyone down that way 654 00:40:06,281 --> 00:40:07,561 Speaker 4: or keeping okay? 655 00:40:07,641 --> 00:40:10,921 Speaker 3: I hope sorry to hear that you cut the holidays short, 656 00:40:11,121 --> 00:40:14,601 Speaker 3: but I guess that's the way things turn out. Please 657 00:40:14,641 --> 00:40:17,241 Speaker 3: excuse the writing paper, but as I have nothing else 658 00:40:17,281 --> 00:40:20,281 Speaker 3: at the moment, it will have to do. I'm working 659 00:40:20,281 --> 00:40:24,121 Speaker 3: on the MRD now, not a bad job, but long hours. 660 00:40:24,841 --> 00:40:28,881 Speaker 3: It's easy enough. I'm the th man. Dad will explain 661 00:40:28,921 --> 00:40:32,321 Speaker 3: what that means. We're out at Thangu Camp on the 662 00:40:32,361 --> 00:40:35,241 Speaker 3: Headland to Broom Road and about eighty k's from Broom, 663 00:40:35,801 --> 00:40:38,480 Speaker 3: so if I stick it out until next Christmas shall 664 00:40:38,561 --> 00:40:42,201 Speaker 3: definitely be down this year. We're getting some funny weather 665 00:40:42,281 --> 00:40:44,881 Speaker 3: up here at the moment. Hot one day, cold the 666 00:40:44,921 --> 00:40:48,201 Speaker 3: next and rain. I see it's been a bit cool 667 00:40:48,241 --> 00:40:52,281 Speaker 3: down that way too. Well, everybody seems okay up this way, 668 00:40:52,481 --> 00:40:55,681 Speaker 3: except for a few sniffles, etc. Seeing as how I 669 00:40:55,721 --> 00:40:58,001 Speaker 3: have a bit of time up my sleeve, shall endeavor 670 00:40:58,041 --> 00:41:01,321 Speaker 3: to write Timmy's sister too, only short ones, though, like 671 00:41:01,361 --> 00:41:04,921 Speaker 3: this will be Well, it's Friday now, I'm trying to 672 00:41:05,041 --> 00:41:07,401 Speaker 3: make my mind up to go to Derby or Broom. 673 00:41:08,361 --> 00:41:11,921 Speaker 3: I guess it will be Derby. Well, not much else 674 00:41:11,961 --> 00:41:14,681 Speaker 3: at the moment. I shall try to write more often. 675 00:41:15,121 --> 00:41:18,561 Speaker 3: So for now that's all, as I've run out of space, 676 00:41:19,521 --> 00:41:22,561 Speaker 3: excuses excuses. Love Dez. 677 00:41:23,761 --> 00:41:25,601 Speaker 2: As you can tell from the tone of his letter, 678 00:41:25,921 --> 00:41:28,761 Speaker 2: dares knew that his family missed him, and that he 679 00:41:28,841 --> 00:41:31,081 Speaker 2: was terrible at keeping in touch with both his mum 680 00:41:31,121 --> 00:41:34,801 Speaker 2: and dad, but also his three sisters. He talks of 681 00:41:34,841 --> 00:41:38,361 Speaker 2: heading to Broom or Derby. That Friday night he ended 682 00:41:38,441 --> 00:41:41,481 Speaker 2: up in Derby, and that's the night he got in 683 00:41:41,521 --> 00:41:44,761 Speaker 2: a fight, was knocked on the head and ended up 684 00:41:44,761 --> 00:41:48,841 Speaker 2: in hospital. This eventually could have been the cause of 685 00:41:48,881 --> 00:41:54,161 Speaker 2: his disappearance. He promises to write more often, and also 686 00:41:54,281 --> 00:41:57,521 Speaker 2: that he'd be home for Christmas in nineteen seventy nine 687 00:41:57,601 --> 00:42:00,481 Speaker 2: and to write to his sisters Gwen, Joy and Shirley. 688 00:42:01,641 --> 00:42:06,440 Speaker 2: They never heard from him or saw him again. Dez 689 00:42:06,601 --> 00:42:09,521 Speaker 2: was definitely thinking about coming back to be with his family. 690 00:42:10,081 --> 00:42:13,161 Speaker 2: He'd recently bought a new car and a dog, and 691 00:42:13,281 --> 00:42:15,921 Speaker 2: already purchased a new set of clothes that he was 692 00:42:15,961 --> 00:42:19,521 Speaker 2: saving up to wear to see the family At Christmas. 693 00:42:21,041 --> 00:42:24,121 Speaker 2: The police record and a few coworker interviews at the 694 00:42:24,121 --> 00:42:28,201 Speaker 2: time state that Dez had some alcohol issues. There were 695 00:42:28,281 --> 00:42:32,521 Speaker 2: also other interactions with police that Dez had nothing serious, 696 00:42:32,881 --> 00:42:36,001 Speaker 2: but all involved alcohol, so it would be fair to 697 00:42:36,041 --> 00:42:40,921 Speaker 2: say that Des liked to drink. DES's drinking is another 698 00:42:41,041 --> 00:42:45,521 Speaker 2: theory about why he went missing his sister Shirley. 699 00:42:46,281 --> 00:42:49,921 Speaker 4: Unfortunately, he was a heavy drinker and people just thought 700 00:42:49,961 --> 00:42:52,881 Speaker 4: that he'd just got a bit, maybe got drunk out 701 00:42:52,881 --> 00:42:55,521 Speaker 4: there and just went for a walk in the bush 702 00:42:55,601 --> 00:42:59,321 Speaker 4: and got lost. But that proved later on when they 703 00:42:59,361 --> 00:43:02,841 Speaker 4: did all the searchers that there was no tracks, there 704 00:43:02,881 --> 00:43:09,321 Speaker 4: was nothing. Someone from upstairs has just plucked enough. 705 00:43:14,041 --> 00:43:16,761 Speaker 2: When a family member goes missing, it's not just the 706 00:43:16,801 --> 00:43:20,721 Speaker 2: immediate family that's impacted. Susie from Leave a Light on Ink, 707 00:43:20,801 --> 00:43:23,561 Speaker 2: a Facebook group that helps track down long term missing 708 00:43:23,561 --> 00:43:27,401 Speaker 2: people across Australia, talks about the effect it has on 709 00:43:27,481 --> 00:43:29,481 Speaker 2: the whole family for generations to come. 710 00:43:30,041 --> 00:43:33,361 Speaker 7: Well, you can't really grieve, but there's there's nowhere that 711 00:43:33,441 --> 00:43:36,481 Speaker 7: you can can go to lay flowers or say you're 712 00:43:36,481 --> 00:43:39,681 Speaker 7: good buyers like your bush. If someone passes away, you 713 00:43:39,721 --> 00:43:41,921 Speaker 7: can go to the cemetery and you can you can 714 00:43:41,961 --> 00:43:45,681 Speaker 7: properly grieve and say say you goodbye and come to 715 00:43:45,721 --> 00:43:49,521 Speaker 7: groups with it and move on in life. Whereas when 716 00:43:49,521 --> 00:43:52,561 Speaker 7: you've got a missing person your whole life it's like 717 00:43:52,601 --> 00:43:56,801 Speaker 7: a living nightmare, and you turn out that it's like 718 00:43:56,881 --> 00:44:00,961 Speaker 7: being in limbos. There's no way of moving on because 719 00:44:01,001 --> 00:44:04,081 Speaker 7: you don't know whether they're alive, whether they're dead, whether 720 00:44:04,081 --> 00:44:08,121 Speaker 7: they're okay, whether they've got mental health issues and they 721 00:44:08,161 --> 00:44:12,841 Speaker 7: need support. It's just so much of the unknowing, and 722 00:44:13,001 --> 00:44:17,601 Speaker 7: that's what families find so incredibly difficult to deal with. 723 00:44:17,601 --> 00:44:22,601 Speaker 2: With your sisters, Joanne go and missing, how has that 724 00:44:22,641 --> 00:44:26,281 Speaker 2: affected your life? And then if you have children, your 725 00:44:26,281 --> 00:44:27,761 Speaker 2: parenting style and their life. 726 00:44:29,161 --> 00:44:31,841 Speaker 7: Well, it affected me great. But I didn't have the 727 00:44:31,961 --> 00:44:35,881 Speaker 7: independence and freedom that so many other children of my 728 00:44:36,001 --> 00:44:40,001 Speaker 7: same age growing up with. I couldn't go to friends places, 729 00:44:40,081 --> 00:44:42,521 Speaker 7: or don't ride my bike down the street, or go 730 00:44:42,641 --> 00:44:45,641 Speaker 7: and play at the neighbors unless my mum or my 731 00:44:45,681 --> 00:44:49,441 Speaker 7: brother supervising me. I found it incredibly difficult to go 732 00:44:49,521 --> 00:44:52,721 Speaker 7: and do anything on my own, and I'm finding that 733 00:44:53,001 --> 00:44:57,801 Speaker 7: I do the same with my daughter. I worry, you know, 734 00:44:57,841 --> 00:45:01,041 Speaker 7: if I can't see her with wing the supermarket and 735 00:45:01,361 --> 00:45:04,481 Speaker 7: you know if she tells me that she'll be a 736 00:45:04,481 --> 00:45:07,441 Speaker 7: few minutes and she's longer than a few minutes, I 737 00:45:07,681 --> 00:45:11,641 Speaker 7: instantly start to worry. And it's it's something that it's 738 00:45:11,721 --> 00:45:16,321 Speaker 7: this instinct you can't help but panic because you think 739 00:45:16,361 --> 00:45:19,081 Speaker 7: to yourself, is it going to happen all over again? 740 00:45:20,361 --> 00:45:24,201 Speaker 7: And that's that's the concern, especially with a kidnapping things, 741 00:45:25,041 --> 00:45:29,321 Speaker 7: But in general, when someone goes missing, it's not just 742 00:45:29,761 --> 00:45:33,721 Speaker 7: the immediate family, but future generations to come because that 743 00:45:33,841 --> 00:45:35,841 Speaker 7: person is a part of your family and you talk 744 00:45:35,881 --> 00:45:40,601 Speaker 7: about them, so the next generation they have questions they 745 00:45:40,681 --> 00:45:43,721 Speaker 7: want to ask as well, and unfortunately it doesn't stop 746 00:45:43,881 --> 00:45:45,761 Speaker 7: just for the immediate family. 747 00:45:48,001 --> 00:45:51,281 Speaker 2: In the next episode, you'll hear two other theories of 748 00:45:51,321 --> 00:45:57,601 Speaker 2: Desert's disappearance. Both are far fetched, both have never been substantiated, 749 00:45:58,041 --> 00:46:00,681 Speaker 2: and both are theories that some of the family believed 750 00:46:00,801 --> 00:46:02,041 Speaker 2: for a good portion of time. 751 00:46:02,881 --> 00:46:07,081 Speaker 4: The UFOs that's well that my old sister Gwynn, she 752 00:46:07,281 --> 00:46:12,401 Speaker 4: believed in that There's was absolutely adamant that this light, 753 00:46:13,321 --> 00:46:16,961 Speaker 4: no car, no nothing, just this great big light was 754 00:46:17,041 --> 00:46:18,921 Speaker 4: following him along the road. 755 00:46:19,681 --> 00:46:22,601 Speaker 2: It's true to say, when left with no hope and 756 00:46:22,681 --> 00:46:29,841 Speaker 2: no answers, you clutch at Anything. Thanks for listening to 757 00:46:29,881 --> 00:46:34,081 Speaker 2: this episode and supporting this story. Independent storytelling that shapes 758 00:46:34,121 --> 00:46:37,041 Speaker 2: the world is what podshape really cares about. Right now, 759 00:46:37,081 --> 00:46:39,681 Speaker 2: There's thousands of people listening to this show and our 760 00:46:39,721 --> 00:46:42,241 Speaker 2: other true Crimes, and they're completely engaged. 761 00:46:42,441 --> 00:46:43,121 Speaker 5: More than ten. 762 00:46:43,001 --> 00:46:46,521 Speaker 2: Million Australians listen to podcasts each week. If you've ever 763 00:46:46,561 --> 00:46:49,361 Speaker 2: thought about advertising your business in a podcast, there's a 764 00:46:49,401 --> 00:46:52,121 Speaker 2: link to reach out in the show notes, or head 765 00:46:52,121 --> 00:46:54,881 Speaker 2: to podshape dot com to book a free call.