Unsolved Girls that went missing from Adelaide Oval 1973

[Kurve]

Of interest.
- Arthur Brown - The Beaumont Children

 

[GreyCrow]

Why do the families want the contents of the coronial inquest "protected"? And why are you posting here? "Entertainment value"?

Attention

''all you who say I am fos can see I have access - ipso facto my claims must be real ''

 

[Macka_321]

Correct me if I’m wrong but isn’t that entire western side the members area even before the development seem to remember it was. My understanding is the family was sitting in the members area that day? And yeah I am a saca member btw.

 

[emuboy]

One odd thing about this case is that the guy responsible from the police sketches looks like a stereotypical dangerous stranger.

Now of course - and I remember years ago the police who came to our school to give a talk on this very subject - there is no 'typical' look for a dangerous stranger, they could be any age, male or female and have a huge different range of different physical features.

But with his long, sallow face; his weird eyes in strangely sunken sockets; his scowling expression with thin lips and the hat the abductor was seen wearing, the Adelaide Oval kidnapper just looks like a dangerous stranger from every kid's worst nightmare.

 

[GreyCrow]

Correct me if I’m wrong but isn’t that entire western side the members area even before the development seem to remember it was. My understanding is the family was sitting in the members area that day? And yeah I am a saca member btw.

There were no stands on the Eastern Side - there were mounds and the Victor Richardson gates

Yes John Creswell Stand was in the members

 

[Macka_321]

The suggestion made saca stopped police searching is ridiculous to me. Yes things could have been handled better at the time with announcement made straight away. Not sure what a new inquiry would achieve now?

 

[jason_recliner]

Sounds like somebody's salty they forgot to apply for SACA membership when their kid was born.

 

[Macka_321]

Sounds like somebody's salty they forgot to apply for SACA membership when their kid was born.

Waitlist isn’t that long these days!

 

[Kurve]

Billy Brainless has a very strong correlation of user name to content posted

This and the Beaumont children's thread is like a magnet

 

[Macka_321]

This and the Beaumont children's thread is like a magnet

Lots of so called experts that apparently know everything.

 

[dezmond]

I grew up on the edge of the Nth Adel parklands when and where the girls disappeared. We lived in a house that was accessed by a lane that served houses on both sides. I am convinced that ASB lived there. He took the lane to and from the bus stop at the top of it on Prospect Rd almost everyday. He carried a brown tote or doctors style brown leather bag. He seemed like a labourer. Poor, gaunt, dusty and a bit stooped. Maybe he had tools or his lunch in the bag. He matched the "Identikit" or artist's drawing almost exactly- it was as good as a portrait and he always had the hat on. He lived in a rooming house for single men at the bottom of the lane which matches with a witness testimony and other details I have read. In 1973 when the girls disappeared we had just moved in and I was a little more than 9. I often thought of ways I might tell the police when the picture came out in the press and on the T.V. I was a newsboy but was afraid to partly because of an incident in the neighbourhood with a rocker that got me and a few others in a bit of trouble. The uncanny thing about the man was 1. he would never ever look at you even if he passed within feet of you in the narrow lane and you had said hello. 2. my mother had a sixth sense for dodgy men around children (I think she had met a few in her own childhood and as a school teacher and I had two sisters to protect) and "interviewed" him one day. Afterwards saying: strange man- says he is from Queensland. Where we know Brown came from. Finally- 3. We, being my slightly older brother used to take the bus home from town and one day my brother and I took the bus that goes up the Main North Rd instead of along Prospect Rd. That meant we had to get off in the parklands and cut across them to get home. "Brown" got on the same bus and when we got off I said to my brother- he's a creep, let's run home. So we did. I remember turning around as we reached the road on the other side of the park and the relative the safety of traffic and such. I turned around and he was right on our heels obviously hurrying after us. What also tallies in is that apparently he was seen near the zoo and possibly the top of the Port Rd with the girls. Though they are in opposite directions taking either route from the Adelaide Oval one could mostly stay off busy roads and in the trees, parklands and golf course get most of the way to Elderslie Avenue where the rooming house was.

I know a lot of opinion in the thread is for Hart being good for it. But I am convinced that Brown was the man in the house at the end of the lane and given his proclivity for such a crime and the geographical location a lot of circumstantial evidence adds up. I have read for example somewhere that a man in a rooming house said that another lodger brought home two girls one night and was told to mind his own business.

As to the sightings along the river- except that they were in the opposite direction- they all work for someone trying to get away and make it up through the parklands. Even the commuter train which would take one to the Nth Adelaide station in Ovingham is a possibilty.

Some one asked in the thread: what is the interest? I know it will very likely never ever be resolved. For me it has stayed with me all through growing up and anytime I hear about it or am in that part of Adelaide. Around that time I had a paper run on Ward street where Kelvin was snatched a few years later and a couple of years after the abduction I sold sweets and Choc ice myself at the oval too. Adelaide especially around the parklands was dodgy in those days. I knew that first hand growing up there and relate in another thread a close encounter with an infamous creep and killer.

 

[johnymac1]

I grew up on the edge of the Nth Adel parklands when and where the girls disappeared. We lived in a house that was accessed by a lane that served houses on both sides. I am convinced that ASB lived there. He took the lane to and from the bus stop at the top of it on Prospect Rd almost everyday. He carried a brown tote or doctors style brown leather bag. He seemed like a labourer. Poor, gaunt, dusty and a bit stooped. Maybe he had tools or his lunch in the bag. He matched the "Identikit" or artist's drawing almost exactly- it was as good as a portrait and he always had the hat on. He lived in a rooming house for single men at the bottom of the lane which matches with a witness testimony and other details I have read. In 1973 when the girls disappeared we had just moved in and I was a little more than 9. I often thought of ways I might tell the police when the picture came out in the press and on the T.V. I was a newsboy but was afraid to partly because of an incident in the neighbourhood with a rocker that got me and a few others in a bit of trouble. The uncanny thing about the man was 1. he would never ever look at you even if he passed within feet of you in the narrow lane and you had said hello. 2. my mother had a sixth sense for dodgy men around children (I think she had met a few in her own childhood and as a school teacher and I had two sisters to protect) and "interviewed" him one day. Afterwards saying: strange man- says he is from Queensland. Where we know Brown came from. Finally- 3. We, being my slightly older brother used to take the bus home from town and one day my brother and I took the bus that goes up the Main North Rd instead of along Prospect Rd. That meant we had to get off in the parklands and cut across them to get home. "Brown" got on the same bus and when we got off I said to my brother- he's a creep, let's run home. So we did. I remember turning around as we reached the road on the other side of the park and the relative the safety of traffic and such. I turned around and he was right on our heels obviously hurrying after us. What also tallies in is that apparently he was seen near the zoo and possibly the top of the Port Rd with the girls. Though they are in opposite directions taking either route from the Adelaide Oval one could mostly stay off busy roads and in the trees, parklands and golf course get most of the way to Elderslie Avenue where the rooming house was.

I know a lot of opinion in the thread is for Hart being good for it. But I am convinced that Brown was the man in the house at the end of the lane and given his proclivity for such a crime and the geographical location a lot of circumstantial evidence adds up. I have read for example somewhere that a man in a rooming house said that another lodger brought home two girls one night and was told to mind his own business.

As to the sightings along the river- except that they were in the opposite direction- they all work for someone trying to get away and make it up through the parklands. Even the commuter train which would take one to the Nth Adelaide station in Ovingham is a possibilty.

Some one asked in the thread: what is the interest? I know it will very likely never ever be resolved. For me it has stayed with me all through growing up and anytime I hear about it or am in that part of Adelaide. Around that time I had a paper run on Ward street where Kelvin was snatched a few years later and a couple of years after the abduction I sold sweets and Choc ice myself at the oval too. Adelaide especially around the parklands was dodgy in those days. I knew that first hand growing up there and relate in another thread a close encounter with an infamous creep and killer.

I went back and retrieved this post I made in May 2020. Post #83

I did a profile from sightings and observations of the AO offender

I wonder if someone can positively Identify the individual you encountered, I have no specific POI in mind
I prefer to keep an open mind on the offenders identity.

Here's my take on the AO abductor.

I believe it was a truly random snatching, with the offender making off with his preferred aged victim. Unfortunately the girl's minder tagged along. The offender may not necessarily attended the football from the start, but may have just wandered in there after the gates were opened. The offender may have cruised past the botanic gardens, the zoo etc. Anywhere where he can get an opportunity to offend.

The offender is accustomed to walking great distances and may have walked into town on previous occasions. He may have used the corridor along the rail lines before. And most likely lives north west of the CBD. There is a slim chance he had a car or van, but he would have more likely parked it on war memorial drive. If that’s the case he could have lived anywhere in Adelaide.

I think our guy might be a labourer or factory worker, but then again he might be a pensioner of some kind. He is likely to have lived alone and have no close family living near him. I had a thought, he might be lived near a school or kindergarten. Unfortunately I think our guy is now deceased, if he was late 40s in 1973 and 47 years have gone by. He would be over 90 now.

His family and friends may have not known about what he did. And may have no indication when the cleaned up his home, upon his death. I think he was careful to destroy all evidence. Its highly unlikely hes on police radar. But he maybe known for loitering around toilets and playgrounds.

He may have collected news paper clippings or articles on the case. Possibly also possessed, articles of clothing from other offending and most likely had a pr0n collection of some description. He would have been a frequent visitor of a dodgy adult book store.

He might have loosely followed footy, but he was there mainly to perve then later offend. In summer I can see him hanging around beaches. Possibly semaphore etc, anywhere on a bus or train route. Its highly unlikely anybody can identify him, unless there is some hard evidence uncovered.

 

[dezmond]

I went back and retrieved this post I made in May 2020. Post #83

I did a profile from sightings and observations of the AO offender

I wonder if someone can positively Identify the individual you encountered, I have no specific POI in mind
I prefer to keep an open mind on the offenders identity.

Here's my take on the AO abductor.

I believe it was a truly random snatching, with the offender making off with his preferred aged victim. Unfortunately the girl's minder tagged along. The offender may not necessarily attended the football from the start, but may have just wandered in there after the gates were opened. The offender may have cruised past the botanic gardens, the zoo etc. Anywhere where he can get an opportunity to offend.

The offender is accustomed to walking great distances and may have walked into town on previous occasions. He may have used the corridor along the rail lines before. And most likely lives north west of the CBD. There is a slim chance he had a car or van, but he would have more likely parked it on war memorial drive. If that’s the case he could have lived anywhere in Adelaide.

I think our guy might be a labourer or factory worker, but then again he might be a pensioner of some kind. He is likely to have lived alone and have no close family living near him. I had a thought, he might be lived near a school or kindergarten. Unfortunately I think our guy is now deceased, if he was late 40s in 1973 and 47 years have gone by. He would be over 90 now.

His family and friends may have not known about what he did. And may have no indication when the cleaned up his home, upon his death. I think he was careful to destroy all evidence. Its highly unlikely hes on police radar. But he maybe known for loitering around toilets and playgrounds.

He may have collected news paper clippings or articles on the case. Possibly also possessed, articles of clothing from other offending and most likely had a pr0n collection of some description. He would have been a frequent visitor of a dodgy adult book store.

He might have loosely followed footy, but he was there mainly to perve then later offend. In summer I can see him hanging around beaches. Possibly semaphore etc, anywhere on a bus or train route. Its highly unlikely anybody can identify him, unless there is some hard evidence uncovered.

I'm not quite sure what you are asking for here but here's my take or punt. But first: all these years I have rued that I didn't somehow go to the police back when it was fresher and I was younger. Maybe some sort of resolution could have been reached. However, I did sometimes think- surely someone else saw the likeness to our neighbour? It was uncanny. And as I write above a man in a rooming house (i believe connect with Brown) was interviewed or made a statement. I don't remember where I read that but it must have been online of course though it could have been in a media article. I haven't lived in Adelaide for more than 40 years and Australia for... 36+.

So to the profile: yes, he lived alone without family in the rooming house for men. (The house we lived in had also been a rooming house for men before my parents bought it by the by.) Didn't drive- taking the bus to town usually. It's not that far to walk and invariably when relying on buses one would sometimes have to walk. Sundays, public holidays, just missed the last one, strikes, the odd bus that was just pulled. There was never much information in those days. I have no memory of seeing him walking anywhere though and I and my siblings walked and rode bikes in, and around and across the parklands extensively though mostly that came a little later. If it was Brown I'd say he would have had a Queensland licence and didn't go to the trouble of swapping it in. Maybe he always intended to move back? And as an active pedophile he would have drawn attention to himself from police and/or community and needed to get away from the heat from time to time. Perhaps if the investigation found it way to him in Adelaide that might have been what moved him on again. I have no clear recollection of how long he lived on the lane. I just noticed that eventually he was gone.

I'd also say it was an opportunistic crime and that he wouldn't necessarily been a football fan. QLD had another code I suppose in those days- there was no AFL- but sports grounds with the gates open were places to loiter and drink and/or prowl. It was the time when the Festival Centre was being built and it is said that he said he saw that happening. There were a few other building projects in that area in those days. A hotel went up beside the AMP building opposite Parliment House and so forth. I always had the sense he was a labourer. That he worked was most likely. Always heading down the lane in the morning when we were headed to school and then you would see him coming back if you were out and about in the late afternoon early evening.

As I say I am as good as sure that the man was Brown and he had a lot going for him then and now as a suspect. Was missed once by the police in Queensland and quite likely another time in SA. I suspect more get away with it than are caught. Certainly the case in the Catholic school I went to where they are still uncovering the pedos and the coverups from years ago when I went to one of them and even more recent cases.

 

[johnymac1]

I'm not quite sure what you are asking for here but here's my take or punt. But first: all these years I have rued that I didn't somehow go to the police back when it was fresher and I was younger. Maybe some sort of resolution could have been reached. However, I did sometimes think- surely someone else saw the likeness to our neighbour? It was uncanny. And as I write above a man in a rooming house (i believe connect with Brown) was interviewed or made a statement. I don't remember where I read that but it must have been online of course though it could have been in a media article. I haven't lived in Adelaide for more than 40 years and Australia for... 36+.

So to the profile: yes, he lived alone without family in the rooming house for men. (The house we lived in had also been a rooming house for men before my parents bought it by the by.) Didn't drive- taking the bus to town usually. It's not that far to walk and invariably when relying on buses one would sometimes have to walk. Sundays, public holidays, just missed the last one, strikes, the odd bus that was just pulled. There was never much information in those days. I have no memory of seeing him walking anywhere though and I and my siblings walked and rode bikes in, and around and across the parklands extensively though mostly that came a little later. If it was Brown I'd say he would have had a Queensland licence and didn't go to the trouble of swapping it in. Maybe he always intended to move back? And as an active pedophile he would have drawn attention to himself from police and/or community and needed to get away from the heat from time to time. Perhaps if the investigation found it way to him in Adelaide that might have been what moved him on again. I have no clear recollection of how long he lived on the lane. I just noticed that eventually he was gone.

I'd also say it was an opportunistic crime and that he wouldn't necessarily been a football fan. QLD had another code I suppose in those days- there was no AFL- but sports grounds with the gates open were places to loiter and drink and/or prowl. It was the time when the Festival Centre was being built and it is said that he said he saw that happening. There were a few other building projects in that area in those days. A hotel went up beside the AMP building opposite Parliment House and so forth. I always had the sense he was a labourer. That he worked was most likely. Always heading down the lane in the morning when we were headed to school and then you would see him coming back if you were out and about in the late afternoon early evening.

As I say I am as good as sure that the man was Brown and he had a lot going for him then and now as a suspect. Was missed once by the police in Queensland and quite likely another time in SA. I suspect more get away with it than are caught. Certainly the case in the Catholic school I went to where they are still uncovering the pedos and the coverups from years ago when I went to one of them and even more recent cases.

Thanks for that
Some witnesses place Brown in Adelaide during the 70s. Mainly his family and victims from QLD

During the AO abduction, the offender's eyeglasses fell out of his top pocket.
The glasses were quite distinctive. Can you remember if your guy had glasses?

Brown worked as a maintenance man on government properties. He would have been middle aged back then.

We really need to research his movements in SA, that what I was trying to get too.

 

[dezmond]

Thanks for that
Some witnesses place Brown in Adelaide during the 70s. Mainly his family and victims from QLD

During the AO abduction, the offender's eyeglasses fell out of his top pocket.
The glasses were quite distinctive. Can you remember if your guy had glasses?

Brown worked as a maintenance man on government properties. He would have been middle aged back then.

We really need to research his movements in SA, that what I was trying to get too.

Never saw glasses carried nor the wearing of any as far as I remeber. To carry glasses like that sounds like reading glasses for those occasions and finer work etc. I had to start wearing readers at 40 for exactly those reasons (and they still fall out of my top pocket if I have them there) and that is the age I would have had him at bearing in mind I was only 9 or 10. So that is a little in hindsight. As I remember it he always wore the same (sort of) clothes. Open shirt, brown trousers and I think if I remember correctly a brown jacket. And of course the hat.

Research be hard. Some times I wish the police would just share everything they have in historical cases.

 

[johnymac1]

Never saw glasses carried nor the wearing of any as far as I remeber. To carry glasses like that sounds like reading glasses for those occasions and finer work etc. I had to start wearing readers at 40 for exactly those reasons (and they still fall out of my top pocket if I have them there) and that is the age I would have had him at bearing in mind I was only 9 or 10. So that is a little in hindsight. As I remember it he always wore the same (sort of) clothes. Open shirt, brown trousers and I think if I remember correctly a brown jacket. And of course the hat.

Research be hard. Some times I wish the police would just share everything they have in historical cases.

Glad you came forward, I've been looking for a guy that lived on the outer.

Not fitting into society and having evil intentions and somewhat detached from others
I always imagined the offender lived more west of port road, around the Faulding factory. Not living in a mainstream home, but a dwelling somewhat removed from neighbours. A location that could mask his horrendous activities.

 

[dezmond]

Glad you came forward, I've been looking for a guy that lived on the outer.

Not fitting into society and having evil intentions and somewhat detached from others
I always imagined the offender lived more west of port road, around the Faulding factory. Not living in a mainstream home, but a dwelling somewhat removed from neighbours. A location that could mask his horrendous activities.

Yes the rooming house, though in an affluent area, was very rough and tumble as far as I could tell and definitely didn't fit in. Our house directly across the lane had been split into 3 separate flats and was rank when we moved in. I don't know if they had the same setup and owner or such. The backyard was overgrown and dark with a huge peppar tree and piles of dirt and debris and an outhouse. Used to spook the daylights out of me going in there to fetch balls in the early days when we played cricket in the lane. I noticed only one other man who lived there and that I spoke to at least once. I think his name was Les and he seemed alright. I always imagine that it was him that was interviewed. I used to have to sell raffle tickets for the school door to door and once plucked up the courage to go and knock on the street door in Elderslie Ave. He answered and said: no, that's nothing for us here.

There's really nowhere to go with it all. I share what I do in a fairly fruitless attempt to assuage my conscience and because of an abiding impression that was left with me. I asked two of my (older) siblings if they remember the guy but drew a blank.

 

[Angus Young]

Guy is dead.

Such a sad case this one.

 

[JimmyBC]

I'm not convinced any of the suspects in this or the Beaumont case is the killer(s)

 

[johnymac1]

I'm not convinced any of the suspects in this or the Beaumont case is the killer(s)

I do agree. The AO suspect is an unknown.
I think the only way to find him is to sift through old reports. Specifically looking at offenders caught loitering near kids. Looking for reports that identifies the offender. These cases would most likely be near the city precinct

 

[johnymac1]

What do the following offenders have in common?

James Ryan O'Neil
Derrek Percy
Arthur Stanley Brown
Christopher Wilder
Deiter Pfennig
Terrence Darrel Kelly

Apart from being horrible lowlifes, they were all offenders working alone.

Then we then have killers that worked as group.

The Family, BVE, R and B etc
The Turo Murders, Christopher Worrel and James Miller

So, do we have enough info to categorize the AO Kidnapping?

As the sightings suggest, it was a sole offender. Two or three witnesses in the oval grounds.
And the same number in and around the parklands.

I don't know enough about Errol Radan to know how he operated!

 

[johnymac1]

Yes the rooming house, though in an affluent area, was very rough and tumble as far as I could tell and definitely didn't fit in. Our house directly across the lane had been split into 3 separate flats and was rank when we moved in. I don't know if they had the same setup and owner or such. The backyard was overgrown and dark with a huge peppar tree and piles of dirt and debris and an outhouse. Used to spook the daylights out of me going in there to fetch balls in the early days when we played cricket in the lane. I noticed only one other man who lived there and that I spoke to at least once. I think his name was Les and he seemed alright. I always imagine that it was him that was interviewed. I used to have to sell raffle tickets for the school door to door and once plucked up the courage to go and knock on the street door in Elderslie Ave. He answered and said: no, that's nothing for us here.

There's really nowhere to go with it all. I share what I do in a fairly fruitless attempt to assuage my conscience and because of an abiding impression that was left with me. I asked two of my (older) siblings if they remember the guy but drew a blank.

do you have any photos of the boarding house?