Lindy Chamberlain
It’s Sunday morning, breakfast time in the Chamberlain household. I’m waiting for my toast and eggs and Michael Chamberlain hands the paper to his eldest son to see if they’ve made the news. Aiden starts the ritual of flicking through the pages. The paper’s full of Sydney Olympics stories.
It’s the year 2000. For a while it seems the Chamberlain family faded from view. This is, obviously, not your average family.
My cameraman colleague and I were in pre-production of a documentary about Michael Chamberlain and his long road to near-normality after being found guilty of being an accessory to the murder of his baby daughter Azaria at Ayers Rock in 1980.
Continue reading "It’s no joke that a dingo got the Chamberlains’ baby" »
It is easy to understand why the parents of Azaria Chamberlain, Lindy and Michael, who have long since gone their separate ways, and who were long ago acquitted of involvement, wish the death certificate to be altered to reflect that a dingo took their daughter.
But is another inquiry needed?
In December, a Northern Territory coroner, Elizabeth Morris, said the family had provided her with “information” about dingo attacks on children. After appointing an investigator to review the material, Morris decided to reopen the inquest.
Continue reading "Death by dingo: The 32-year old saga that has to end" »
Latest 2 of 52 comments
View all comments-
Duane says:
@IMitchy I understand this is an opinion piece. The topic though is a matter before the Court - albeit Coronial - and as a Senior Reporter for a global News outlet, one would have thought, especially in respect to this subject, Mr Toohey may have waited before adding to his… Read more »
-
St. Michael says:
Here we go. This is the old Ward “Third Man Hypothesis”. The “ranger’s dog” or “ranger’s dingo” theory has been tried on quite a bit. There’s a webpage about the subject here: http://www.lindychamberlain.com/files/The ‘Third Man’ Hypothesis - Innocence Regained.pdf In brief: the “ranger’s dog” theory was about as bizarre as… Read more »
Political correctness rules our lives and while I’m all for equal opportunity, why not extend it to some of the creatures that share our great country?
Why is it considered acceptable for one or two species to regularly claim human lives, while another is hunted down and killed in retribution? Or a whole colony culled, after what might be little more than a nip?
If you are unlucky enough to be eaten or bitten in the sea, you are intruding, you knowingly took the risk and the chances are very high that the protected predator responsible will be allowed to swim off in search of its next feed.
Continue reading "This specific dingo did not eat any babies" »
Latest 2 of 125 comments
View all comments-
Onural says:
Yeah it would be a bit scary to see 5 dingoes rnnuing towards you, so you can see why people run and scream to get away. But with proper education about dingo puppy play behavior all the tourists would be better off. If only DERM would understand about dingo behavior… Read more »
-
Lisa says:
Let’s share this to encourage colprmsouy reading. It is really common sense for people who have any kind of compassion, intuition and sensitivity for humanity including any living beings. Dogs in council parks behave much worse than this; I had a mother dog who would run and bark at people… Read more »
In a tearful face-off with the media last month, the heavily tattooed and visibly distraught Kristi Abrahams denied her involvement in the disappearance of her six-year-old daughter Keisha, last seen by her mother when she tucked her into bed on the night of 31 July.
“It’s disgusting what they’re saying,” she said. “They (the public) need to stop judging me. They don’t know me.”
The latest in a long line of women who have been questioned in regard to the death of their own child Abrahams was clearly feeling the weight of public opinion. What she didn’t seem to realise, was that while her points may have been fair, raising them won’t make an ounce of difference.
Continue reading "Should we take this mother’s grief with a grain of salt?" »
Latest 2 of 20 comments
View all comments-
Liz from Townsville says:
Well Britney…you were spot on, weren’t you? (that by the way, was sarcasm). Abrahams was judged not only for the way she acted, but the past history of child abuse and her child only having had attended 5 days of school out of an entire year. Its the entire picture… Read more »
-
Mikaela Ackerman says:
If only every body questioned what they read or see. Wonderful work Brittany Read more »
For anyone born before about 1978 the Azaria Chamberlain case will never lose its fascination - I could read about it all day.
But the thing that so clearly stands out in today’s News Ltd report about the “Chamberlain files” is that the women jurors in the 1982 murder trial of Lindy Chamberlain were so much harder on her than the men.
According to The Daily Telegraph: “The three women - a teacher and two housewives - all voted for conviction while at least four of the nine men had to be persuaded that she was guilty.”
Continue reading "Why are women so much harder on each other" »
Latest 2 of 58 comments
View all comments-
convinced says:
@loz - I stayed in the same camping ground in 1975 on a school trip and we never saw or heard a dingo or any other canine in the vicinity. The only 4 legged creatures we encountered were a plague of hopping mice…..that invaded our tents and coach,, and were… Read more »
-
JL says:
“I, for one, never believed Lindy guilty, for the simple reason that there was no way I would kill my child, therefore why would, or could, any other woman?” - seriously??? There are many, many, many cases all over the world where women have killed their own children. There are… Read more »
Facebook Recommendations
Read all about it
Punch live
Up to the minute Twitter chatter
RT @ImaanHMazari: Sick terrorists beheaded a 20-year old British soldier in London are giving Islam a bad name. You aren't Muslim. Stop def…
RT @BusInsiderAU: 'We Want To Start A War In London Tonight': Machete Attacker's Words To Mother After Street Killing - http://t.co/l9lpWAG…
Recent posts
The latest and greatest
The Punch is moving house
Good morning Punchers. After four years of excellent fun and great conversation, this is the final post…
Will Pope Francis have the vision to tackle this?
I have had some close calls, one that involved what looked to me like an AK47 pointed my way, followed…
Advocating risk management is not “victim blaming”
In a world in which there are still people who subscribe to the vile notion that certain victims of sexual…
Nosebleed Section
choice ringside rantings
From: Hasbro, go straight to gaol, do not pass go
Tim says:
They should update other things in the game too. Instead of a get out of jail free card, they should have a Dodgy Lawyer card that not only gets you out of jail straight away but also gives you a fat payout in compensation for daring to arrest you in the first place. Instead of getting a hotel when you… [read more]From: A guide to summer festivals especially if you wouldn’t go
Kel says:
If you want a festival for older people or for families alike, get amongst the respectable punters at Bluesfest. A truly amazing festival experience to be had of ALL AGES. And all the young "festivalgoers" usually write themselves off on the first night, only to never hear from them again the rest of… [read more]Gentle jabs to the ribs
Superman needs saving
Can somebody please save Superman? He seems to be going through a bit of a crisis. Eighteen months ago,… Read more
Latest 2 of 196 comments
View all commentsAdd your comment