Bronwyn

The Teacher’s Pet creator Hedley Thomas returns with a new podcast investigation for The Australian.  Subscribers to The Australian and registered users hear episodes of ‘Bronwyn’ first at theaustralian.com.au/bronwyn. Plus, you can read more about this case and see exclusive stories, maps, timelines, graphics, video and more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In an idyllic surf town, Bronwyn Winfield is a loving young mother determined to divorce her husband Jon and start again with her two daughters. She writes about her life and describes a deeply unhappy marriage. She tells friends and relatives that she fears Jon. Bronwyn discloses firm plans including an imminent meeting with a lawyer advising her about her separation from her estranged husband. Jon has a strong tether to the family home. He built it. Bronwyn calls it ‘Jon’s castle, my prison’, but the house is at risk of being sold in a break-up. When Bronwyn suddenly disappears, Jon keeps the house and the two girls. And nobody sees or hears from Bronwyn again. Jon denies foul play and says his wife went away for a break. He still surfs most days. Read more about this case and see photographs, maps, timelines and more at bronwynpodcast.com.  If you have information which may help solve this cold case, you can contact our team confidentially by emailing bronwyn@theaustralian.com.au If you need support, Lifeline can be reached on 13 11 14.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s a toxic relationship. Friends and family recall Bronwyn’s sadness and frustrations over what appears to be coercive control and emotional violence. Bronwyn’s efforts to keep the family home ‘immaculate’ while raising children take a toll. Crumbs or soft drink spills on the floor anger Jon, who doesn’t want visitors and directs the children to play in the garage to avoid making a mess. Neighbours, friends, and their children see a woman living in fear. Bronwyn tells a friend that Jon threatens her and put his hands around her throat as if to strangle her. She is desperate for money to pay for the solicitor giving her legal advice in the marriage breakdown. Bronwyn struggles to pay the bills in a rented townhouse with her two girls while Jon stays in the house. Jon says Bronwyn’s side of the family has a history of mental illness. Read more about this case and see photographs, maps, timelines and more at bronwynpodcast.com  If you have information which may help solve this cold case, you can contact our team confidentially by emailing bronwyn@theaustralian.com.au If you need support, Lifeline can be reached on 13 11 14.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jon's second wife reveals some home truths about her brief failed marriage and why she decided to file for divorce, triggering a bitter row over the house she and Jon built in Sandstone Crescent, Lennox Head. The house is close to where Bronwyn would build a house with Jon several years later. When Bronwyn decides to get a locksmith in and take her lawyer's advice to move back into the house, friends are worried for her. One reveals that she talked to Bronwyn on the day she vanished – May 16, 1993 – and insists that the devoted mother of two had made no mention of going away for a break. Jon decides to fly back to Lennox Head from Sydney, arriving on the Sunday evening after going to see police at nearby Ballina. Read more about this case and see photographs, maps, timelines and more at bronwynpodcast.com.  If you have information which may help solve this cold case, you can contact our team confidentially by emailing bronwyn@theaustralian.com.au If you need support, Lifeline can be reached on 13 11 14.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bronwyn's estranged husband, Jon, hastily packs the family car for an unplanned drive through the night to Sydney with the two girls. His neighbour, Murray Nolan, hears the car's distinctive brakes and is surprised to see the Ford sedan quietly rolling down Sandstone Crescent with lights off and engine off at 10:40pm on Sunday, May 16, 1993. When Jon arrives in Sydney he says Bronwyn has gone away for a break, leaving him to look after the girls. Bronwyn is never seen again and friends say she had no plans to go away. Read more about this case and see photographs, maps, timelines and more at bronwynpodcast.com.  If you have information which may help solve this cold case, you can contact our team confidentially by emailing bronwyn@theaustralian.com.au If you need support, Lifeline can be reached on 13 11 14.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.