On 4th December, 1957, a party comprising Thyra Bowman, her daughter Wendy and a friend of the Bowman Family, Thomas Whelan, set out from the
Glen Helen Station to travel to
Adelaide. The station
homestead was at the western end of the McDonnell Ranges, approximately 130
miles West of
Alice Springs.
They were in the family car, a Standard Vanguard
sedan, and were on their way to meet Thyra’s husband Peter, who had taken another daughter by plane from
Alice Springs to
Adelaide, where he had gone for specialist medical treatment for a back injury. There were two pet dogs in the party.
From the station, the party travelled to
Alice Springs on the first day, and stayed at the hotel overnight. On the following day they set out for
Adelaide via the Stuart Highway, which was then little more than a track, occasionally graded in some sections. It was expected that the journey would take two days. In those days the highway went from one station
homestead to the next, and these were about fifty to a hundred
miles apart.
When the travellers had not arrived in
Adelaide after three days and had made no contact, Thyra’s husband Peter, became alarmed and made numerous phone calls without success. He, therefore, reported his concern to the Police. The Royal Flying Doctor Service at
Port Augusta contacted the pastoral properties en route, again without success.
A
road block was set up at
Port Augusta, so that police could seek information from travellers who had come from
Alice Springs. No information was forthcoming.
A Lincoln bomber was sent from
Woomera to fly along the route, but the search was unsuccessful.
Inspector Gully, who was in charge of the Homicide Squad, spotted Detective Hopkins
He asked him to take charge of the investigation and go to
Port Augusta immediately. After making the necessary preparations, he set out at about 3.30 pm with an associate, Detective Kevin Moran, and a police photographer. At that time no police officer involved in the investigation of a serious crime was permitted to travel to the scene of the crime by plane, which was considered to be risky. they, therefore, had to use a motor vehicle, and on this occasion were provided with an early model Holden.
It was not until the rape and murder at
Ceduna of a
young girl, Mary Hattam, that this was changed.
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On the way they received a phone call reporting that the Lincoln bomber had carried out another reconnaissance, and that the vehicle had been sighted on the Sundown Station property.
They arrived at
Port Augusta early that evening. The local detectives were surprised to see that they were wearing the customary dress, namely suit, hat, collar and tie, and that they had no
camping equipment. They were equally surprised because we had presumed that “Sundown” was not far from
Port Augusta, only to learn that it was near the Northern Territory border and some 600
miles (960 km) away. They were informed too that the bodies of the missing persons had been found approximately a mile away from the car and that they had obviously been murdered.
The local police lent them sturdy blue overalls to wear instead of the suit, and after about two hours in
Port Augusta, they left in the Holden. By that time, they had had no sleep for 24 hours, but with what was to come there was often little sleep. Three of them were in the Holden, and two
Port Augusta detectives accompanied them, driving their normal patrol vehicle, a heavy strong one ton Ford Utility. The utility carried a large vessel containing twenty gallons of
water.
After about two hours in
Port Augusta, they proceeded to
Woomera, arriving at about midnight. The local police, as they had requested, had procured three lead lined coffins from the administration of the Rocket Range Establishment. After some two hours with them, were on they're way again. With their permission they travelled via the bituminised Range Road, thereby reducing the distanced to be travelled by some 100
miles. There was no time for delay, because it is always necessary to be at the scene of a crime as soon as possible. If too much time elapses, a criminal may
well be far from the crime scene and, therefore, hard to locate, and the same applied to potential witnesses.
After leaving the bitumen, they found that the track north was for the most part very tough, particularly through the Sturt Stony Desert, where the car was bouncing because of potholes and gibbers of all sizes. They discovered, however, that it was easier to handle the light duty Holden than the ute, and that the Holden also coped much better when the road was sandy. It was indeed true that Holdens were built for Australian conditions.
Temperatures exceeded 40°C each day.
They took turns at driving, which required constant vigilance, due to dust, and to the intense heat and light, with consequent glare and mirages. They saw that the trees did not appear to be green; they were covered in brown dust. Dust, stirred up from the road, covered the car and slid down the windscreen, which reduced visibility to some extent, adding to the difficulty of driving.
The lurching of the car on the rough track continually disturbed them when they attempted to sleep; they could only doze on and off.
After stopping briefly at
Coober Pedy next day, they continued on to
Marla Bore, arriving at about 5.00 pm and had two or three hours sleep there.
They pressed on again, eventually reaching the scene of the murders at about midnight. This was more than thirty hours after leaving
Adelaide. They were met by four police officers from
Oodnadatta and Finke. There were also a number of residents from the region, and six aboriginal trackers, who were station workers brought in by their employers.
Mr. Jim Wilkinson from the
Kulgera Roadhouses, informed them that the victims had called at
Kulgera, refuelled the car, purchased some cool drinks, and filled their
water bags before proceeding on their way.
From the beginning, valuable assistance was given by many of the local and
Alice Springs residents, which was, and remains, typical of the readiness of most country people to help others. Two such were Mr. Eddie Connellan, the
well-known owner of Connellan Airlines in
Alice Springs, and by Mr. Roy Coulthard of
Kulgera Station. Connellan and Coulthard flew along the highway in search of the Bowman’s car at the same time as the air force plane was searching.
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They also spotted the car, and returned to
Kulgera to organise a party to attend the scene, despite the fact that the weather was so hot that even the local residents were affected. Mr. Coulthard’s son Noel went on his motorbike and he was the one who found tyre marks leading to where the bodies were located.
It was due to Mr. Coulthard’s boundless energy, bush craft, organizing ability and hospitality that the whole investigation at the scene proceeded smoothly and efficiently.
A rough
campsite had been prepared, and they were able to snatch a few hours sleep, lying on a stretch of sand adjacent to the road. At about 4.00 am they were awakened to find the place alive with activity. It was explained to them that the sand would heat up very quickly, and that they would suffer badly if we overslept. Everyone was eager to get on with the job. We were treated top a “real bush breakfast”. Comprising a thick slice of fritz and a cup of tea, which, given the circumstances, we greatly appreciated.
The media picked up on the crime and it received nationwide coverage. The
Adelaide Advertiser offered a reward of 500 pounds for information leading to the conviction of the murderer. (Both Sally Bowman's husband, Pete, and the victim Thomas Whelan had worked for the paper's affiliate radio station 5AD, the latter as a technician.) Tabloids and broadsheets alike ran daily reports; even the august
Sydney Morning Herald had regular stories.
A 24-year-old carpenter, Raymond
John Bailey, was subsequently arrested in
Mount Isa about 9.30 pm on Tuesday 21 January 1958. He was tried, convicted and executed in
Adelaide Gaol.
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