Gayndah woman’s struggle to find the truth behind her mother's death

A Gayndah woman is on a desperate search for the truth about her mother’s death in the 1970s with no ambulance, autopsy or police reports.

Julie Hatton nee Clifford was the only daughter to her parents, and set up her future family home on a vast grazing property in Eidsvold.

A Gayndah woman is desperately looking for answers in relation to her mother’s apparent suicide from more than four decades ago.

Natalie Hatton cannot find any police, ambulance or autopsy reports detailing her mother Julie Hatton’s death in the 1970s.

She said she learned of her mother’s death when she was 10 years old and struggled to complete a family tree school project.

“I couldn’t get my family tree to line up,” she said.

She said it was then a family member sat her down and revealed the shocking truth; her mother was not who she thought she was.

Her real mother, Gold Coast-born Julie Hatton, had committed suicide at the age of 22 at the family farm, Dareen, leaving her then 10 week old baby (Natalie) behind, she was told.

Ms Hatton said Julie Hatton, nee Clifford, was buried two days later, and no coroners reports were completed.

“It was a pretty big shock to a 10 year old to find that out, to find out my brothers weren’t my real brothers,” Ms Hatton said.

Julie Hatton nee Clifford was the only daughter to her parents, and set up her future family home on a vast grazing property in Eidsvold.

It wasn’t until 44 years later that Ms Hatton began to ask more questions about her mother’s death.

She said she discovered contradicting stories but a lack of records or documents.

“Strange things began coming out, apparently the police officer didn’t come until the next day and by then everything was cleaned up,” Ms Hatton said.

“I have now a number of different stories of what really happened that day.

“It could be mum simply committed suicide, but why aren’t there documents saying that, why the different stories?”

Ms Hatton has been unable to find police files at Eidsvold or Monto, there are no reports in police archives, nor are there coroners reports or any reports in the state archive.

She said information from the family’s neighbours at the time also raised her concern something untoward may have happened.

“These two people passed the property around 10am on Sunday morning, they initially thought mum was waving at them, but now they worry she was trying to wave them down,” she said.

“When they came back to their home, they decided to go and visit mum and then a phone call came in there had been an accident.”

Other people have come forward with their own version of events, but Ms Hatton has struggled to corroborate them.

“Various stories included a family friend arriving at the family home just after it happened, but I cannot find anyone that saw them there,” she said.

Ms Hatton is now reaching out to anyone who may have memories from October 1, 1978 that may be of interest, or documents relating to her mother’s death.

“I have written to the Attorney-General office requesting answers,” she said.

Originally published as Gayndah woman’s struggle to find the truth behind her mother's death