Thank you, Louise and Charmian Foundation

It may never be known why Louise became attracted to George who was over 16 years her senior, but she seemed willing to sacrifice a great deal for this man. After a long business lunch at a restaurant one day, the pair didn't return to work but booked into a motel room instead. After this encounter, George then asked Louise to accompany him on a business trip for several days. A private detective hired by Louise's husband managed to track down the couple in Adelaide. After returning to Melbourne, Louise and George continued their intimate affair resulting in the dissolution of both their marriages.

After separating from her husband, Louise shifted to a flat in Acland Street St Kilda where she continued her relationship with George. Louise lived alone in the flat but continued to see her children on weekend access visits and school holidays. By this stage she often required a walking stick due to her worsening arthritis. Louise received an invalid pension and needed constant medication for her arthritis and bronchitis. Without a car or license she also relied on public transport to get around.

Trysts in Gippsland

The potato farm on Thomson Valley Road near Erica

Whilst the relationship with Louise continued, George separated from his wife Beryl and shifted to his holiday home in Parkers Corner, a small settlement near Erica.

George obtained work at the Thomson Dam and also with a local landowner, Geoff Maynard as a potato farmer. It was on this potato farm that he had access to a white ute.

George was prepared to drive great distances to be with his lover. He would travel almost 200km in his Dodge Phoenix to Melbourne to stay overnight with Louise.

Occasionally he would drive her back to Gippsland where they stayed in motels in the Traralgon, Yallourn and Erica areas. Strangely enough, Louise never stayed at George's property in Parkers Corner. According to a witness, Louise had been told by George that the place wasn't suitable accommodation. The two acre farmlet was surrounded by a tall cyclone and razor wire fence, which seemed out of character with the town's remote location and small population.

A model of a car similar to George's Dodge
Phoenix

The Birth of Charmian

In early 1977 Louise became pregnant to George. He was furious and demanded an abortion but Louise refused as she dearly wanted another child. Louise’s divorce came through in July 1977 and she stated in court that she was pregnant to George Sutherland.

After the divorce and heavily pregnant, Louise embarked on a two week holiday with George driving through NSW to Sydney. On the 30th October 1977 Louise gave birth to Charmian Christabel Alexis Faulkner. George attended the hospital soon after the birth and paid the maternity bills, however he appeared disinterested in Charmian and never provided any maintenance.

Wedding Bells?

Louise was looking forward to marrying George and had bought a wedding dress for the occasion. George later claimed that Louise had never asked him to marry her but Louise's friends paint an entirely different picture. George it seemed had informed Louise that he was having trouble divorcing his wife.

Louise was growing impatient so on the advice of a friend she contacted the public records office and was devestated to discover that George had been divorced since December 1977.

Louise took a copy of the divorce papers back to her flat. We can be certain that she felt utterly betrayed, but we may never know if she discovered something far worse.

Shortly after George and Beryl's divorce the pair actually reconciled and Beryl shifted into the Parkers Corner residence with her ex-husband. It was no wonder that George didn't allow Louise and the baby to stay at his country abode.

Unwittingly, Louise and little Charmian were now in great danger. A cold, calculating killer was planning to get rid of them and hide their bodies. A date had been set for the evil deed - Saturday the 26th of April. A burial site had been chosen where the murderer hoped the mother and child would never be discovered. Perhaps this killer thought that no one would ever care that Louise and Charmian had gone missing. The crime had been meticulously planned, or had it?

Numbers 32:23 "Be sure that your sins will find you out."

NEXT. . . Police name the suspect