Photos frame the pain over Lyn Dawson’s disappearance

Precious photos from the albums of Lynette Dawson’s family have been provided to court.

Murder accused Chris Dawson, his missing wife Lynette and one of their children in a family snap shown in court.

Precious photographs from the ­albums of Lynette Dawson’s family have been provided to court, as her sister and brother gave evidence about her traumatic disappearance 40 years ago.

One photo from Christmas 1981 is marked in the handwriting of Lynette’s heartbroken mother, Helena Simms: “The last photo of my Lyn.”

Weeks after the picture was taken, Lyn’s close-knit family was left confused and distraught when she suddenly vanished from Sydney’s northern beaches.

Her brother, Greg Simms, is a former police officer of 27 years. He gave evidence that Lyn’s husband Christopher Dawson, the best man at his wedding, later dropped off her belongings in green plastic bags.

“My mother opened the door and he said, ‘I have some of Lyn’s stuff’,” Mr Simms said.

The bags were packed with clothing, underwear, a container with contact lenses, dirty gardening gloves and some of Lyn’s nursing badges – worn on duty to show her qualifications.

The last photo of Lynette Dawson, arms folded near centre, taken around Christmas in 1981

Mr Dawson says Lyn walked out on her family after he dropped her off to go shopping on January 9, 1982, leaving behind her belongings as well as the couple’s two ­little girls. He is alleged to have said Lyn she was wearing pink shorts at the time.

Mr Simms told the court there was a pair of pink shorts in the bags Mr Dawson dropped off to Lyn’s mother.

Lyn had a thick scar above her left knee, and he had only ever seen her wear shorts when she went to the beach, he added.

Chris and Lyn Dawson

Mr Dawson, 73, listened and watched on from across the courtroom. He has pleaded not guilty to his wife’s alleged murder.

Mr Simms told the court of one incident he witnessed at his parents’ home. Chris Dawson was standing beside the fridge and freezer, he said.

Chris and Lyn’s two daughters were sitting on the floor in front of him. “Out of the blue, he turned to my mother and just said ‘Look at my two darling little girls’,” Mr Simms said.

“My mother turned to him and said ‘What about your darling big girl out on the veranda?’”

Lyn was on the veranda talking to her father.

Mr Dawson replied: “She can get in the bloody kitchen where she belongs.”

Pat Jenkins, Lyn’s older sister, told the court that before Christmas 1981, Mr Dawson left his wife and two young girls.

Lyn was breathing quickly and heavily down the phone line as she explained to Ms Jenkins that she had been at work, had done some grocery shopping and was waiting for Mr Dawson to pick her up as arranged. Mr Dawson didn’t arrive, and his twin brother Paul said he didn’t know where he was.

Lyn said she caught a taxi home and when she arrived found a note on the bed.

The court was told the note read: “Don’t paint too dark a picture of me to the girls.”

All of Mr Dawson’s clothes and “even his pillow” were gone, and Lyn didn’t know from the note whether he would return, Ms Jenkins said. Unable to drive, Lyn was stuck at home with very little money, her sister said.

Chris and Lyn Dawson early in their relationship

“She was very upset about it. She had the two little girls to look after,” Ms Jenkins said.

Lyn had put the couple’s two daughters to bed the night she received the note, telling them their father had gone on a holiday, the court was told. She gave them both a kiss and said it was from him, Ms Jenkins said.

Ms Jenkins was asked by the prosecutor about Lyn’s plans for Christmas 1981, just weeks before she vanished. She paused briefly before continuing her evidence, apologising to the court for becoming upset.

Lyn planned to give the two girls a cubby house for Christmas, and was concerned because she didn’t know how she was going to get the present in time, Ms Jenkins said. But having told the girls about the gift, Lyn didn’t want to disappoint them.

Lyn declined an offer to stay with Ms Jenkins that Christmas, saying she didn’t have enough money and didn’t want to travel and risk losing her job at a Warriewood childcare centre.

Lyn also said she wanted to be there “in case Chrissy came home”, Ms Jenkins said.

Her brother Greg Simms said he got the same response when he asked Lyn to spend Christmas with his family in the Hunter Valley. Ms Jenkins at the time lived near Stuarts Point, about 460km north of Sydney. She offered Lyn money, even though it was a 160km round trip for Ms Jenkins to get to a bank. Lyn declined.

Chris and Lyn Dawson on their wedding day

Ms Jenkins told the court that Lyn had discussed with her that Mr Dawson was “so angry with her all the time”, and had described his “black eyes flashing”. His anger towards her was so intense that Lyn thought he needed to go to a doctor to see if he had a physical problem, Ms Jenkins said.

One day, Lyn had gone to give Chris a hug and he pushed her away; on another, Lyn wanted to ask how his day was but he gave her such a dirty look she didn’t say anything.

Defence barrister Pauline David questioned Ms Jenkins about her telling police in the 1990s that the pressure on Lyn could have caused her to leave.

“It was a possibility. Because we didn’t know what had happened to her,” Ms Jenkins told the court.

Mr Simms was asked what he did to try to locate Lyn after she went missing. He said he rang the Mona Vale police station and spoke to the sergeant. He was told he “wasn’t entitled to any information” as he wasn’t next of kin.

Mr Simms will continue giving evidence on Wednesday, followed by his wife Merilyn.

The witness after that will be JC, the former student babysitter at the centre of the case against Mr Dawson.