Four years ago when Ryan Baydon-Lumsden began his campaign to become the Gold Coast’s youngest ever city councillor, LNP party officials had concerns about his family connections.
They were concerned about his stepfather’s influence in the Party when it came to the political hopeful.
Robert Lumsden almost overnight had become one of the most powerful players in the Liberal Party’s growing northern base. His stepson was being considered for public office.
A senior female LNP member, respected as a health professional, became concerned about the family connection and visited the Arundel home on several occasions.
This was the Chiffley Place property which late last Wednesday became a Police crime scene.
Later that night Councillor Bayldon-Lumsden, 30, was charged with murdering Mr Lumsden, 58. Another party figure says: “It was an unusual household.”
Mr Lumsden was chair of the branch for the new state seat of Bonney. It was created in the 2017 boundary redistribution carve up of the Southport and Broadwater electorates.
Back then, Ryan Bayldon-Lumsden had a minor administrative role in the branch, his first small steps into politics.
Sam O’Connor, himself just 26, was the new MP. He considered himself a friend of the family. In his maiden speech to parliament in March, 2018, Mr O’Connor made special mention of all members of the family including Ryan’s mother Katrina Bayldon and his sister Ruth Bayldon-Lumsden.
“Rob Lumsden is the vice-chair, but he was really a jack-of-all-trades during the campaign,” Mr O’Connor told parliament.
“We had an impromptu campaign catch-up over a coffee or beer in almost every cafe or pub in Labrador more times than I can count and I truly value his friendship.
“The work that Rob and Ryan did with signage was phenomenal. It put my name recognition through the roof, painted the electorate a lovely shade of blue and also really complemented our issues campaign. Katrina and Ruth were also outstanding campaigners.”
But a year later, in 2019, and the mood within the conservatives changed. Party members smile when it is suggested Mr Lumsden was “encouraged” to stand down as chair.
Private phone calls and meetings were held between the relevant players in an attempt to prevent a widening political crisis in relation to Mr Lumsden.
“It was about how fiercely competitive Rob was on behalf of his son,” the party source says.
Another long-term party member recalls that led to other members asking questions about Mr Lumsden.
“He was the ultimate faceless man. It was only when he became chairman, that he tried to put Ryan as treasurer and secretary, that there was a bit of a jack up against that,” the party member said.
“He had suddenly come from nowhere, and people were asking “who is this guy”.”
A businessman involved in the film and later furniture industries, Mr Lumsden had moved to the Coast in the late 1990s. He began a relationship with Ms Bayldon, a respected teacher.
Her previous husband, Ryan’s father, had died in 1997. The new couple would expand their family with Ruth, Ryan’s half sister.
Mr Lumsden was strongly promoting of both. He invested heavily in overseeing Ruth’s schooling.
In December 2012, Mr Lumsden was commuting between the Coast and Theodore, a rural town about 220kms west of Bundaberg. Ms Bayldon had been appointed acting principal of the state school, responsible for up to 20 teachers and 100 students.
Mr Lumsden was quick to establish himself in the machinery of it all. He was elected the school’s Parents and Citizens Association representative and as a volunteer focused on a major building program, a $700,000 upgrade in the airconditioning system.
He would deliver Ruth to the school’s classroom and often remain at school each day. He was also known to make unscheduled visits to the classroom, sitting at her desk, reading the notes on her corkboard.
Ruth’s teacher alleged Mr Lumsden had waved a book at her saying it was the chapter book being read at home and his daughter should be taught from it. His belief was Ruth was gifted and should be promoted to a higher grade after an IQ test found her to be in the 120 to 130 range.
An argument occurred, Ms Bayldon tried to intervene and pleaded with the teacher allegedly saying Mr Lumsden had said he would take Ruth out of the school and back to the Coast.
The teacher recalled her principal taking her to the tuckshop where Mr Lumsden was helping out and forced him to shake hands with her. The teacher ultimately took legal action in the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission in relation to this interaction.
WorkCover Queensland rejected her application for compensation. Her appeal against that decision was later dismissed.
Mr Lumsden in his evidence was described as “forthright, calm and responsive”.
In 2019 the family had returned to the Coast, this time becoming involved in the often volatile world of local politics.
The focus for Mr Lumsden was the LNP Bonney branch and hockey, at the Labrador centre upgraded for the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Ms Bayldon was appointed Deputy Principal at Southport State High School. Her first years of teaching had been at Coombabah.
Her son had gone to Arundel Primary School. He was awarded Queensland Young Volunteer of the Year and since his teenage years had focused on kids with special needs, joining Volunteering Gold Coast.
A rare gift of a political opportunity would be presented.
The Change Commission had completed its review on council boundaries. This impacted on two northern divisions covering the Arundel-Parkwood area east and north to Labrador and Runaway Bay. This opened up an opportunity for an unknown candidate to succeed in Division Seven.
But critical to this was a decision by rookie councillor Kristyn Boulton.
She made the surprising decision to challenge experienced planning chair Cameron Caldwell, leaving Division 7 open for newcomers.
Both she and Councillor Caldwell were LNP members.
In January 2020 she spoke to the Bulletin about the agonising decision after her Division was split by the boundary change.
“I believe good leaders make important decisions decisively and effectively. So I’ve made a decision which I believe is not only right for me but also right for my community. I want to give everybody certainty,” she said.
Cr Boulton was helped in her first campaign by Mr Lumsden and his stepson.
A party figure says: “I counselled her against (the decision). I warned her that she was unlikely to beat Cameron. I couldn’t understand why she was not contesting the division where she had the most population (of support).
“Lumsden advised her not to. If she’d run, she would have won there.”
Ms Boulton has not returned calls for comment. But sources say they believe that Mr Lumsden remained in close contact with her.
He had been Bonney chair since 2018. Party officials suggested he stand down in mid to late 2019. Both he and Ryan, as an independent, being officially linked to Bonney was considered not a good look.
The campaign for the 27-year-old Ryan cost more than $40,000, which compared to $3361 for his main rival.
Mr Lumsden was the campaign manager, this was his new focus. Despite having access to many potential volunteers, they were a two-man team.
The young candidate on Facebook wrote: “I worked 40 hours as a teacher, 48 as a respite carer. I’d finish 3.20pm on Friday afternoon and start 4pm at the centre. Week nights I’d volunteer at the (Labrador) hockey centre. So Sunday nights were the only time I got to myself.”
Mr Lumsden never returned to party meetings. His future playground, after Ryan won, was his stepson’s council career and the local hockey club.
As was the case with his stepson’s political career, Mr Lumsden had found himself in a position of influence – managing the Labrador Hockey Club’s funding and sponsorships. And it became a family affair with Katrina co-ordinating the women’s league and Ryan overseeing the supporters club.
During the family’s association with the hockey club, Mr Lumsden moved the LNP meetings from the Labrador Tigers Club, where Mr O’Connor poured beers before becoming an MP, to his own sports facility upgraded after the Commonwealth Games.
“The reason was people attending the meeting, 30 to 40 of them, would spend money at the club on beer and soft drinks,” the party figure says.
The family’s involvement with the club came to an abrupt end after a disagreement between Robert and senior management.
Mr Lumsden often drove his teetolling stepson around, even attending official council business with developers in the area, sending out political posts on the official Facebook page.
“Rob was the de facto councillor,” a LNP party member says.
The irony was Mr Lumsden remains absent from the hundreds of photographs on the official page for Cr Bayldon-Lumsden, nor in the footage taken at numerous functions for the Bonney branch.
But everyone remembers his presence, with some saying he would not seek you out socially unless he wanted to talk.
“Everything was done for a purpose. He was a mystery man,” a party member said.
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