Extraordinary Stories

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Demonised by the press. Vilified by the country. The subject of gossip and innuendo. From today's viewpoint, the story of Lindy Chamberlain is a brutal reflection of 1980s Australia. Beneath the layers of lies and injustice, it’s a story of a mother who didn’t behave, look, speak or grieve the way we wanted her to after the incomprehensible loss of a child. It’s also the story of one woman, strong enough to endure it all. 

In this season of Extraordinary Stories, we’re unravelling how a young woman went from mother to wrongly convicted murderer, and why the story of Azaria Chamberlain’s disappearance continues to fascinate us to this day.

THE END BITS

WITH THANKS TO:

Malcolm Brown, Journalist

Dr Sophie Jensen, National Museum of Australia

Alana Valentine, Author & Playwright

SOURCES:

Letters to Lindy, Alana Valentine
Dear Lindy: A nation responds to the Loss of Azaria, Alana Valentine
https://lindychamberlain.com/
ABC
Network Ten

GET IN TOUCH:
Feedback? We’re listening! Call the pod phone on 02 8999 9386 or email us at [email protected]
Need more lols, info and inspo in your ears? Find more Mamamia podcasts here... https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts/

CREDITS:
Host: Emma Gillespie
Written and Produced by Sydney Pead & Emma Gillespie, with Holly Wainwright & Elissa Ratliff
Audio Production: Madeline Joannou
Executive Producer: Sydney Pead

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.

Just by reading or listening to our content, you’re helping to fund girls in schools in some of the most disadvantaged countries in the world - through our partnership with Room to Read. We’re currently funding 300 girls in school every day and our aim is to get to 1,000. Find out more about Mamamia at mamamia.com.au

Subscribe to Mamamia: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Subscribe to MPlus for unlimited access to Extraordinary Stories

Released from a Darwin jail after the shock discovery of fresh evidence in the desert, Lindy Chamberlain finds herself at the centre of a media circus once again. But now, her story is going global, immortalised in a Hollywood film starring Oscar-winning actor Meryl Streep. Amid the intense media attention, the breakdown of her marriage and the public’s lingering suspicion, Lindy must continue her fight to clear her name.

THE END BITS
WITH THANKS TO:

Debra Lawrance, Actor - Evil Angels (1988)
Fred Schepsi, Director - Evil Angels (1988)
Dr Sophie Jensen, National Museum of Australia
Alana Valentine, Author & Playwright
Jane Russell, AFP

SOURCES:

Letters to Lindy, Alana Valentine
Dear Lindy: A nation responds to the Loss of Azaria, Alana Valentine
https://lindychamberlain.com/
Through My Eyes - An Autobiography, Lindy Chamberlain
ABC
Channel 9 - 60 Minutes
Reelin’ In The Years Productions

GET IN TOUCH:
Feedback? We’re listening! Call the pod phone on 02 8999 9386 or email us at [email protected]
Need more lols, info and inspo in your ears? Find more Mamamia podcasts here... https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts/

CREDITS:
Host: Emma Gillespie
Written and Produced by Sydney Pead & Emma Gillespie, with Holly Wainwright & Elissa Ratliff
Audio Production: Madeline Joannou
Executive Producer: Sydney Pead

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.

Just by reading or listening to our content, you’re helping to fund girls in schools in some of the most disadvantaged countries in the world - through our partnership with Room to Read. We’re currently funding 300 girls in school every day and our aim is to get to 1,000. Find out more about Mamamia at mamamia.com.au

Subscribe to Mamamia: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Subscribe to MPlus for unlimited access to Extraordinary Stories

Alice Lynn Chamberlain went from living a quiet, family-focused life to being Australia’s most despised woman. For two years, the press had vilified Lindy and the hatred of the public only made the prosecutor's job easier; to convince a jury that Lindy, not a dingo, had killed Azaria Chamberlain. On this episode of The Demonisation Of Lindy Chamberlain, we’ll learn what happened when Lindy had her day in court, what put an innocent woman behind bars, and how was a jury persuaded to condemn her based on misleading evidence.

THE END BITS

WITH THANKS TO:

Malcolm Brown, Journalist

Geraldine Doogue, Journalist

Dr Sophie Jensen, National Museum of Australia

Prof. Barry Boettcher, Forensic Biologist

Jane Russell, Australian Federal Police

SOURCES:

Through My Eyes, Lindy Chamberlain
ABC
The National Museum of Australia

GET IN TOUCH:
Feedback? We’re listening! Call the pod phone on 02 8999 9386 or email us at [email protected]
Need more lols, info and inspo in your ears? Find more Mamamia podcasts here... https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts/

CREDITS:
Host: Emma Gillespie
Written and Produced by Sydney Pead & Emma Gillespie, with Holly Wainwright & Elissa Ratliff
Audio Production: Madeline Joannou
Executive Producer: Sydney Pead

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.

Just by reading or listening to our content, you’re helping to fund girls in schools in some of the most disadvantaged countries in the world - through our partnership with Room to Read. We’re currently funding 300 girls in school every day and our aim is to get to 1,000. Find out more about Mamamia at mamamia.com.au

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.

Subscribe to Mamamia: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

[Part 3 of 3] On this episode of Extraordinary Stories: The Life & Death Of Charlotte Dawson, we’ll learn about the aftermath of Charlotte’s death. From the immediate aftershocks to her long-term legacy. What have we learned from the death of Charlotte Dawson? Has anything changed for the better? And, the question that torments everyone who loved Charlotte, could she have been saved?

CREDITS:

Host: Emma Gillespie
Writers: Emma Gillespie, Tia Ucich & Holly Wainwright
Producers: Emma Gillespie & Tia Ucich
Audio Production: Madeline Joannou
Executive Producer: Holly Wainwright and Elissa Ratliff

WITH THANKS TO:

Erin Molan
Georgie Harman
Melissa Hoyer
Jo Cassemento
Simone Holtznagel

SOURCES:
Air Kiss & Tell: Memoirs of a Blow-Up Doll by Charlotte Dawson and Jo Thornley

GET IN TOUCH:

Feedback? We’re listening! Call the pod phone on 02 8999 9386 or email us at [email protected]

Need more lols, info and inspo in your ears? Find more Mamamia podcasts here... https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts/ 

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.

Subscribe to Mamamia: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

[Part 2 of 3] On our last episode, we learnt about Charlotte’s early years and a coming of age that included a love affair with fashion. We heard how a teenager from New Zealand made it big on the Australian modelling scene, and how her reputation was destroyed in the wake of a public and messy marriage breakdown. 

On this episode, we’ll hear how Charlotte Dawson rebranded herself to become a television star, a mentor and an advocate. You’ll hear from the people who were with her in the wonderful moments of a glamorous life, and through the horrific side-effects of having often vicious strangers critique your every word and move. 

And we’ll hear from the people who were with her at the end, as Charlotte Dawson, fire horse, began to sink under the pressure.

CREDITS:

Host: Emma Gillespie
Writers: Emma Gillespie, Tia Ucich & Holly Wainwright
Producers: Emma Gillespie & Tia Ucich
Audio Production: Madeline Joannou
Executive Producer: Holly Wainwright and Elissa Ratliff

WITH THANKS TO:

Melissa Hoyer, Jo Cassemento & Simone Holtznagel

SOURCES:

Air Kiss & Tell: Memoirs of a Blow-Up Doll by Charlotte Dawson and Jo Thornley

GET IN TOUCH:

Feedback? We’re listening! Call the pod phone on 02 8999 9386 or email us at [email protected]

Need more lols, info and inspo in your ears? Find more Mamamia podcasts here... https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts/ 

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.

Subscribe to Mamamia: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

[Part 1 of 3] There are many chapters in the book of Charlotte Dawson. Charlotte Dawson the adopted young girl, Charlotte Dawson the Fire Horse, Charlotte Dawson the life of the party, Charlotte Dawson the Model, Charlotte Dawson the wife of Olympic hero Scott Miller, Charlotte Dawson the Brave, Charlotte Dawson the paparazzi obsession, Charlotte Dawson the homebody, Charlotte Dawson the Mentor. And; Charlotte Dawson, the misunderstood. 

On the first episode of The Life & Death Of Charlotte Dawson, we’re looking into the early years of Charlotte’s life. And how a teenager from New Zealand made it big on the Australian modelling scene. 

CREDITS:
Host: Emma Gillespie
Writers: Emma Gillespie, Tia Ucich & Holly Wainwright
Producers: Emma Gillespie & Tia Ucich
Audio Production: Madeline Joannou
Executive Producer: Holly Wainwright and Elissa Ratliff

WITH THANKS TO:

Melissa Hoyer, Jo Cassemento & Simone Holtznagel

SOURCES:

Air Kiss & Tell: Memoirs of a Blow-Up Doll by Charlotte Dawson and Jo Thornley

GET IN TOUCH:
Feedback? We’re listening! Call the pod phone on 02 8999 9386 or email us at [email protected]
Need more lols, info and inspo in your ears? Find more Mamamia podcasts here... https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts/

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.

Subscribe to Mamamia: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Subscribe for early access to the next episode.

In this season of Extraordinary Stories, we’re exploring the life of Charlotte Dawson. Model, television personality, anti-bullying advocate, and host of Australia’s Next Top Model. Charlotte’s life? Well, it’s one of incredible highs and gut-wrenching lows. Of success and scandal; Fame and friendship; Loss; And a constant struggle with mental health. Seven years on from her untimely death, what has her legacy taught us? And has the way we view mental health and bullying on social media changed? In this season, you’ll hear from the people who knew and loved Charlotte, and why her story is now more important than ever.

Subscribe to Mamamia: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

[Part 3 of 3] The relationship between Carolyn Bessette and John F Kennedy Jr obsessed New York society and tabloid newspapers for years. The handsome heir to the Kennedy name dated models and movie stars before settling into marriage with Carolyn, and theirs was a union marked by public arguments, private drama, and iconic fashion moments. But once again, the Kennedy family would be plunged into mourning. In this episode, the final in our Kennedy trilogy, we’ll learn how the heir apparent and his socialite bride were stopped in their tracks by an unexplainable thread of misadventure and misfortune. If the assassinations of Jack and Bobby Kennedy begged the question, “are the Kennedys cursed?” What happened to JFK Jr and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy surely answered it.

CREDITS:
Host: Emma Gillespie
Writers: Emma Gillespie and Holly Wainwright
Producers: Emma Gillespie & Siobhan Moran-McFarlane
Audio Production: Madeline Joannou
Executive Producer: Holly Wainwright and Elissa Ratliff

WITH THANKS TO:
Paula Joye, William D Cohan, Tina Cassidy, Susan Broomhall, Laurence Leamer, Aricia Skiddmore-Williams and Brooke Siffrin

SOURCES:
The Kennedy Heirs, J. Randy Taraborelli
Jackie, A Tale of Two Sisters
Secret Lives: Jackie Kennedy
Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy
https://www.jfklibrary.org/
The Washington Post
Even The Rich

GET IN TOUCH:
Feedback? We’re listening! Call the pod phone on 02 8999 9386 or email us at [email protected]
Need more lols, info and inspo in your ears? Find more Mamamia podcasts here... https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts

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.

Subscribe to Mamamia: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

[Part 2 of 3] Ethel Skakel Kennedy has been called stoic and brave as many times as she’s been called cold and cruel. But as we dive deeper into her story, we’ll learn what it really took to love and lose a Kennedy, to be widowed by another Kennedy assassination, and raise eleven children as the single mother of a very private, public family...

CREDITS:

Host: Emma Gillespie

Writers: Emma Gillespie and Holly Wainwright

Producers: Emma Gillespie & Siobhan Moran-McFarlane

Audio Production: Elissa Ratliff and Madeline Joannou

Executive Producer: Holly Wainwright and Elissa Ratliff

WITH THANKS TO:

William D Cohan, Tina Cassidy, Susan Broomhall, Laurence Leamer, Aricia Skiddmore-Williams and Brooke Siffrin 

SOURCES:
The Kennedy Heirs, J. Randy Taraborelli
Jackie, A Tale of Two Sisters
Secret Lives: Jackie Kennedy
Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy
https://www.jfklibrary.org/
The Washington Post
Even The Rich

GET IN TOUCH:

Feedback? We’re listening! Call the pod phone on 02 8999 9386 or email us at [email protected]

Need more lols, info and inspo in your ears? Find more Mamamia podcasts here... https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts/

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

Subscribe to Mamamia: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

[Part 1 of 3] Before her life-defining marriage to JFK, Jaqueline Bouvier was an aspiring journalist, and socialite with big career ambitions. She knew marrying an up-and-coming US congressman would come with a series of expectations. But she could never have predicted how crucial she would be in her husband’s political campaigning, presidential election and in the legacy of The Kennedy family in US politics. But, more-so, she couldn’t have imagined the heartache it would bring.

CREDITS:

Host: Emma Gillespie

Writers: Emma Gillespie and Holly Wainwright

Producers: Emma Gillespie & Siobhan Moran-McFarlane

Audio Production: Elissa Ratliff and Madeline Joannou

Executive Producer: Holly Wainwright and Elissa Ratliff

WITH THANKS TO:

William D Cohan
Tina Cassidy
Susan Broomhall
Laurence Leamer
Aricia Skiddmore-Williams
Brooke Siffrin 

SOURCES:
The Kennedy Heirs, J. Randy Taraborelli
Jackie, A Tale of Two Sisters
Secret Lives: Jackie Kennedy
Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy
https://www.jfklibrary.org/
The Washington Post
Even The Rich

GET IN TOUCH:

Feedback? We’re listening! Call the pod phone on 02 8999 9386 or email us at [email protected]

Need more lols, info and inspo in your ears? Find more Mamamia podcasts here... https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts/

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.

Subscribe to Mamamia: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.