The Teacher’s Pet: Dawson babysitter recalls the violence

A babysitter for Chris and Lyn Dawson has revealed the flashes of violence she saw behind closed doors at their home | PODCAST

Bev McNally in Cromer: ‘He was so vicious.’ Picture: James Croucher

A babysitter for Chris and Lyn Dawson has come forward for the first time, revealing the flashes of violence she saw behind closed doors at their home on Sydney’s northern beaches.

Bev McNally, nee Staniforth, is the first person to report witnessing Mr Dawson’s rough physical treatment of Lyn, saying it was quickly covered up when the couple realised she was present.

She broke her silence after listening to the opening episodes of The Australian’s podcast series The Teacher’s Pet, investigating Lyn’s 1982 disappearance and suspected murder.

“I actually saw him hit her, once with a tea towel and once as a shove, on two separate occasions,” Ms McNally says in the latest podcast episode, released today.

“Basically he was OCD and if there was anything out of place it would throw him, you know, from his wardrobe to the girls’ room. Everything had to be perfect, especially his clothes.”

Expressing guilt that she had not done more, she said she once went to the police but “no one returned my call”.

Her emotional account comes as other witnesses tell of seeing shocking bruises on Lyn’s neck, arms and legs.

Two coroners have declared Lyn was murdered by her husband, but he has not been charged and denies killing his wife. The NSW Director of Public Prosecutions found there was insufficient evidence to prosecute.

Ms McNally was a Year 12 prefect at Sydney’s Cromer High when she helped look after the couple’s two young daughters at their Bayview home in 1980.

1970-1979

Timeline: Lyn Dawson

Chris Dawson marries Lynette Simms, both aged 21. They have two children and Chris begins working as a PE teacher at Cromer High School.

1980

Timeline: Lyn Dawson

Chris begins a secret affair with Joanne Curtis, 16, his student, soon after introducing her to his family as the babysitter. He starts asking her to marry him.

1981

Timeline: Lyn Dawson

Lyn is persuaded by Chris to let Joanne move into their family home as the teenager's step father is violent. Lyn discovers the relationship.

December, 1981

Timeline: Lyn Dawson

With his marriage to Lyn in trouble, Chris flees Sydney with Joanne to start a new life in Queensland, but along the way Joanne changes her mind and wants to take a break. They return to Sydney.

January, 1982

Timeline: Lyn Dawson

Joanne goes camping with her sister and school friends to mark the end of year 12. Chris and Lyn attend marriage counselling together. On January 8, Lyn speaks with her mother on the phone. The next day, Lyn fails to meet her family at Northbridge Baths as planned.

January 10-11, 1982

Timeline: Lyn Dawson

One or two days after Lyn's no-show at the pool, Chris drives up the Central Cost to pick up Joanne and they return to Sydney. He asks Joanne to move in with him. He does not report Lyn missing until almost six weeks later.

1983-1985

Timeline: Lyn Dawson

Chris divorces the missing Lyn and marries Joanne. The couple move to Queensland and have a daughter together. They separate in 1990 and Joanne returns to Sydney. She contacts Lyn's family and police and provides information about Chris and Lyn.

1992-2000

Timeline: Lyn Dawson

Areas of the Dawsons' former Sydney home are excavated by police on different occasions, and a woman's cardigan is found, in pieces and bearing what appear to be slash marks. Forensic testing does not make a positive match with Lyn.

2001-2003

Timeline: Lyn Dawson

Two inquests are held into Lyn's disappearance. Two coroners find she was murdered by someone known to her. Chris does not appear at either inquest. The DPP does not support a prosecution for murder or the laying of charges, citing a lack of evidence.

2010-2014

Timeline: Lyn Dawson

Rewards of up to $200,000 are offered for information to help solve the case.

She believes she saw a pattern of domestic violence. In one instance Mr Dawson — a powerfully built rugby league footballer and Cromer High sports teacher — “whipped” his wife on the back with a tea towel in the kitchen.

“But then they tried to cover it up because they didn’t realise I was actually walking in. He walked out the other side and she tried to pretend she wasn’t crying. It hurt her plus he upset her.

The Teacher’s Pet podcast

“She had her back to him putting a glass in the cupboard because it was all over a tea towel and a glass — a dirty glass. It was just the fact he was so vicious towards her over a dirty glass.”

Another incident occurred in a bedroom. “It was in the doorway and he basically shoved her into the room. They didn’t want me to see it, he stormed off again into his bedroom,” Ms McNally said.

She was replaced as babysitter by another teenage schoolgirl from Cromer High, Joanne Curtis.

Mr Dawson became involved in a sexual relationship with 16-year-old Joanne, moving her into his home — and bed — two days after Lyn vanished.

“I believe he was grooming me. I took the high moral ground so he backed off and looked elsewhere,” Ms McNally said.

“He asked me who could babysit for him if I couldn’t babysit for him. He asked me what I thought of Joanne. So I knew he was watching her.”

Other witnesses spoke to Lyn about her bruises.

Babysitter Bev Staniforth, top row fifth from left. at Cromer High in 1980.

Lorraine Watson, who owned a bridal salon in The Strand Arcade in Sydney for 20 years, said Lyn came into the shop to have a dress made for a special occasion.

“When we took her into the dressing room to take her measurements, I noticed very strong finger marks on both her arms,” she said.

“I never said anything because we just met her and we didn’t want to pry into her business. Anyway, when she got undressed I noticed on her thigh, it looked as if someone had kicked her. And I said to her, ‘God, what in the hell have you been doing to yourself?’ ”

Lyn at first said it was a “long story”, but over the course of four visits she began to relax.

“She told us she was married to a very violent man.”

When asked why she didn’t leave her husband, Lyn said she wouldn’t know where to go and had two children and a lovely house.

Annette Leary, who worked with Lyn at a childcare centre, said she sometimes had bruises on her arms.

Joanne Curtis with the Dawson children after Lyn’s disappearance.

“She would say … they were having an argument, and he’d grab her by the arms,” Ms Leary said. “In another (instance), she had bruises on the side of the neck, and we said, ‘Gosh, are you all right, what’s wrong, how did you get those?’

“Again it was a story about him being rough with her, bullying her.”

Lyn would explain that she argued with her husband and “probably made him angry”.

“She’d make excuses for him because she loved him and she couldn’t believe that he really meant to hurt her,” Ms Leary said.

“It was really sad to hear because we all felt that was not something you make excuses about.”

Chris and Lyn Dawson on their wedding day.

As revealed in The Australian yesterday, detectives from the NSW police Unsolved Homicide Unit began reinvestigating Lyn’s disappearance around late 2015.

In recent months police asked the NSW Director of Public ­Prosecutions to again consider if there was enough evidence to prosecute.

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