The Schoolgirl, Her Teacher and his Wife by Rebecca Hazel

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The Schoolgirl, Her Teacher and his Wife

Winner of the 2024 Best Non fiction Crime Book, Davitt Awards

by Rebecca Hazel

Narrator Natasha Beaumont

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Length 10 hours 48 minutes

Language English

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Summary
About the author
About the narrator

Teacher and former rugby league player Chris Dawson appeared to have it all - a loving family and a beautiful home in Sydney's Northern Beaches. But in the summer of 1982 his wife Lynette disappeared and not long afterwards Dawson married a much younger woman a former student.
Less than a decade later this young woman escaped the marriage and went to the police to record her suspicions that Dawson had been involved in Lynette's disappearance. A homicide investigation followed but got nowhere until 1998, when Detective Sergeant Damian Loone was handed Lynette's file. For nearly two decades he made it his business to honour Lynette and to find out what had happened to her. His work led to two coronial investigations, but no charges.
Around this time Rebecca Hazel was working in a women's refuge on the Northern Beaches when a colleague shared her story of enduring coercive control at the hands of Dawson, when she was his student, and then wife and she shared her suspicions about the fate of his first wife Lynette. These revelations affected Rebecca, and eventually she decided to investigate.
Over years, coroners, police and journalists all shared with Rebecca their knowledge of the case, and disappointments that it remained unsolved. Until, in May 2018, Hedley Thomas launched the Teacher's Pet podcast, and in December 2018, Chris Dawson was charged with murder. He was convicted in August 2022.
Rebecca Hazel has spent ten years working to ensure that the stories of two women who were misused by Chris Dawson are heard, that their perpetrator is brought to justice and that Lynette's family can properly honour their much-loved sister, aunt, cousin and mother.

True Crime Nonfiction Law

Rebecca Hazel (Author)
Rebecca Hazel has worked in family law; in a women and children's refuge; helped establish and worked in the Women's Family Law Support Service at the Family Court in Sydney; and briefly in domestic violence policy at Legal Aid. She lives in Sydney's northern beaches.

Natasha Beaumont (Reader)
Natasha is an actor and voice artist who has worked extensively in television and theatre. Featuring in cult and high-profile soaps and sitcoms such as Peep Show, Eastenders, My Spy Family, All Saints and The Moodys, she is known for both range and comedic talent. Natasha is also a well-established voice artist in her hometown of Sydney. Coupling her performing career with teaching and research in arts education, Natasha loves working with children, eating dumplings at her local, and playing with the family dog, Schultzy.