If you thought you knew everything about The Teacher’s Pet, get ready to be shocked.
In this episode of The Briefing Podcast, Tom Tilley is joined by Hedley Thomas to discuss his new book The Teacher’s Pet, which explores reporting on the cold case, and to reveal a family tragedy with startling similarities to Lynette Dawson that drove him to report on the story.
Lynette Simms disappeared from Sydney’s northern beaches in 1982. We all know the tragic conclusion to Lynette’s story: in 2022, her husband, Chris Dawson was found guilt of her murder.
But did you know Hedley Thomas shared a strangely coincidental parallel with the victim of the story?
His own grandmother went missing from Sydney’s northern beaches some 11 years before Hedley was even born. Just like Lyn, she was never seen or heard from again.
I think I must have waited for my father to pass away before I took on Lyn’s story because I had known about it for many, many years. I didn’t want him to be distressed.
Hedley Thomas
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