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53 Years Ago Robyn & Her Classmates Were Kidnapped. This Is Her Story.
On a Friday afternoon in 1972, in the small town of Faraday, Victoria, 10-year-old Robyn Howarth was playing musical chairs with her classmates when something unexpected caught her eye. She turned to the classroom door and saw two men standing there—one wearing a black mask, the other with dark sunglasses and a hat. The taller man raised an enormous gun, aiming it at Robyn, her five classmates, and their 20-year-old teacher, Mary Gibbs. As Mary desperately pleaded with them, the men ordered everyone to "get in the van... now." More than 50 years later, Robyn has written a book, Faraday: A Community Rediscovered, where she recounts, in vivid detail, the traumatic events that unfolded that day. For decades, she has kept her story to herself—until now. You can buy Robyn's book here. THE END BITS Subscribe to Mamamia CREDITS Guest: Robyn Howarth Host: Gemma Bath Producer: Tahli Blackman Audio Producer: Jacob Round GET IN TOUCH Email us at [email protected] or send us a voice note to give us feedback or suggest a case for the podcast. Rate or review us on Apple by clicking on the three dots in the top right-hand corner, click Go To Show then scroll down to the bottom of the page, click on the stars at the bottom and write a review. You can also leave a comment for us on Spotify. If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636. Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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1:09:45
The Kapunda Triple Murder & An Unsuspecting Killer
In 2010, 18-year-old Jason Downie became obsessed with Chantelle Rowe, his friend’s girlfriend, after she rejected him. On the night of November 8th, in the quiet town of Kapunda, South Australia, Jason, consumed by jealousy, brutally took the lives of Chantelle, her father Andrew, and her mother Rose in their own home. Chantelle’s older brother, Chris Rowe, was on holiday in the Gold Coast at the time. When he heard rumours of a major incident back home, he logged onto Facebook to find out more. He was reassured with the message, “All’s good,” but soon, he would learn of the devastating loss of his family. Bryan Littlely, a journalist who covered the case extensively, is one of the only reporters to have interviewed Chris, the sole survivor, years later. THE END BITS Subscribe to Mamamia CREDITS Guest: Bryan Littley Host: Gemma Bath Producer: Tahli Blackman Audio Producer: Jacob Round GET IN TOUCH Email us at [email protected] or send us a voice note to give us feedback or suggest a case for the podcast. Rate or review us on Apple by clicking on the three dots in the top right-hand corner, click Go To Show then scroll down to the bottom of the page, click on the stars at the bottom and write a review. You can also leave a comment for us on Spotify. If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636. Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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50:53
The Four-Day Exorcism Of Joan Vollmer
In the remote outback of Victoria in 1993, Ralph Vollmer believed his wife, Joan, was possessed. Ralph enlisted members of his local religious community to perform an exorcism, hoping to rid Joan of the ten demons they believed controlled her. What followed was a horrific four-day ordeal that ended in Joan’s death. Margaret Thanos is the director of Furious Mattress, a play based on Joan Vollmer’s tragic story. It raises the question: what are the ethics of turning a real-life tragedy into entertainment? You can find tickets to see Furious Mattress here. THE END BITS Subscribe to Mamamia CREDITS Guest: Margaret Thanos Host: Gemma Bath Producer: Tahli Blackman Audio Producer: Jacob Round GET IN TOUCH Email us at [email protected] or send us a voice note to give us feedback or suggest a case for the podcast. Rate or review us on Apple by clicking on the three dots in the top right-hand corner, click Go To Show then scroll down to the bottom of the page, click on the stars at the bottom and write a review. You can also leave a comment for us on Spotify. If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636. Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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45:44
What It's Like To Find Out The Man You Love Is An International Con Man
Hamish McLaren is a serial fraudster. Remember the podcast Who the Hell Is Hamish? He defrauded victims of their money for more than 30 years before he finally saw the inside of a prison cell. Tracy Hall was his last victim, losing over $317,000 of her life savings to Hamish while in a relationship with him for 18 months. Hamish didn’t just financially manipulate Tracy; he emotionally destroyed her. It’s taken her years to recover from that kind of deceit. She processed it by writing a book, The Last Victim, which details her story. You can find The Last Victim here. RESOURCES What to do if you're scammed, defrauded or there is a data breach. Find information here. Find downloadable tips to avoid scams here. Find Tracy's website here. THE END BITS Subscribe to Mamamia CREDITS Guest: Tracy Hall Host: Gemma Bath Producer: Tahli Blackman Audio Producer: Jacob Round GET IN TOUCH Email us at [email protected] or send us a voice note to give us feedback or suggest a case for the podcast. Rate or review us on Apple by clicking on the three dots in the top right-hand corner, click Go To Show then scroll down to the bottom of the page, click on the stars at the bottom and write a review. You can also leave a comment for us on Spotify. If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636. Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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1:09:25
The Moment That Could’ve Saved Gabby Petito [re-release]
In August 2021, Gabby Petito went missing while on holiday with her fiancé, Brian Laundrie. The pair were six weeks into a four month trip across the United States. They'd been living out of Gabby's specially decked out van, documenting and filming every adventure so she could share it on her growing social media platforms. But when the 22-year-old suddenly stopped posting, her family began to fear the worst. Gabby's high-profile disappearance sparked an unprecedented social media movement to find her. An unstoppable onslaught of amateur sleuths and armchair detectives exposed a story no one was prepared to ignore, as the world hung on each development in the nationwide search for Gabby, her fiance, and the truth. THE END BITS Subscribe to Mamamia CREDITS Guest: Sarah Abo You can watch the 60 Minutes coverage of this case here. Learn more about the Gabby Petito Foundation here. Host: Emma Gillespie Executive Producer: Gia Moylan Producer: Cassie Merritt Audio Producer: Madeline Joannou GET IN TOUCH: Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at [email protected] If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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50:24