The saying goes that when you’re rich and famous, you can get away with murder. Had it not been for extreme public pressure in 2018, this would have been true for the case of Lynette Dawson.
Lynette Simms was born in Australia in 1948 in a very traditional family. Her childhood was quite regular. She grew up in a supportive, loving home with her parents, and her siblings. The Simms family were all very close, and as the kids grew up, this did not change – even as they all moved out of home and married.
Lynette was 16 when she met Chris Dawson at a high school function in 1965. Everyone knew Chris by name. He and his twin brother, Paul, made quite the handsome pair, and were very rarely seen apart. Lynette had caught Chris’ eye, and the feeling was mutual. Lynette was completely smitten with Chris, and she was ecstatic when the two began dating.
In 1970, after college, the two married in Sydney where Chris and Paul played rugby. Lynette worked as a nurse, while Chris and Paul – ever inseparable – made names for themselves playing rugby union for the Newton Jets. Everyone was certain that this would be the start a very happy life for Lynette.
Chris and Paul were with the Newtown Jets from 1972 to 1976. During their time there, they both bought property near each other in Bayview, a suburb of Sydney, where they had houses built for their respective families.
As the twins retired from rugby, they both took up jobs as high school physical education teachers, with Chris teaching at Cromer High School, a school that, to this day, is best known for having an incredibly horrifying and notoriously toxic reputation.
Even though they taught at separate schools, the twins exhibited the same toxic behaviour – as did most of the teachers at Cromer High School, it seems. The twins, and other educators (if they can be called that) regularly groomed, manipulated, and coerced their teenage students, usually young girls, into having illicit sexual relationships with them. This was an open secret around the school, and with Chris being a local celebrity, it seemed no one was very keen to stop him.
(The case of Cromer High School warrants its own in-depth coverage, that I just cannot go into at this time. The case has been well documented, and the abuse these students survived is horrifying, and completely depraved. Suffice it to say, Chris knew what he was doing.)
At Cromer, Chris began grooming and manipulating a 16-year-old student by the name of Joanne Curtis. Joanne’s home life left much to be desired. She was the victim of an alcoholic, and abusive, mother and step-father, and her biological father was sporadic with his communications with Joanne. The more Chris paid attention to her, the more she began to feel he was her lifeline.
Chris offered a shoulder for Joanne to lean on. He listened to her, comforted her, and told her that he would always support her. Chris Dawson, who was 35 years old, was grooming and manipulating a student more than half his age into a relationship. He was a predator of the worst kind.
The closer Chris got to Joanne, the more things became dangerous and tumultuous in his marriage with Lynette, who friends often referred to as Lyn. She began telling her colleagues that Chris was constantly angry with her. He had secluded her, and isolated her, tried to control her as much as he could. And then he grew violent with her. But he was not this way with Joanne.
Lyn told her colleagues all about Joanne, her home life, and how Chris had hired her on as a babysitter for their two daughters – two girls that Lyn and struggled to conceive, carry, and birth. Two girls she loved more than absolutely anything int he world. Two girls who were growing attached to their new babysitter, at the urging of their father.
In October of 1981, Joanne confided in Chris that her step-father had hit her. Chris wouldn’t stand for this (oh, the irony), and decided that Joanne was to move into his home immediately. When her mother found out, to be blunt, she didn’t really care.
This even sent Lyn’s marriage into a meltdown. Chris’ thin temper grew thinner, but only towards Lyn. He berated her constantly over anything and everything, and it didn’t matter that her daughters and Joanne were witnesses.
When her colleagues discovered bruises on Lyn, she covered for him. She defended him. She told them that she must have done something to provoke him. She was in love with him, and, at the urging of her own mother, she wanted to make the marriage work.
For her to do that, she needed Joanne to leave the home. Lyn had heard all the rumours, and though she was reluctant to believe them, she saw the writing on the wall. She demanded Joanne leave, which she did. But she didn’t get very far.
Chris was furious. He convinced his brother, Paul, and his wife to have Joanne stay with them while he figured things out with Lyn. He wanted to keep his marriage – for appearances sake – and his teenaged lover on the side. He wanted it all, and he was determined to have it.
In December of 1981, Chris rented a flat for himself and Joanne. He figured they’d live there together.
To get his ducks in a row, Chris called his brother, Peter, who was a solicitor, for some advice. Chris asked him what would happen to his house, his money, and his assets – though he wasn’t too concerned about his daughters just then – if he and Lyn were to go through with a divorce. Peter informed him that if he left the house – moved out like he intended – he’d be taking a risk. Peter warned him that he was risking losing everything to Lyn. And Chris wasn’t about to have that.
Chris gave up the flat, and moved back into the home. But when he returned, his temper was worse than ever. And with the school being on holidays, Chris was around all the time, and was more pleased than ever to use Lyn, his wife, as his punching bag.
As Chris’ home life was imploding, Joanne had found solace in her sister, and her friends. She wanted to break up with Chris. And he wasn’t about to have that.
Chris presented Lyn with paperwork to sell the house. Lyn refused to sign it. She wanted to say – and she wanted to work on their marriage. But Chris had other ideas.
In a desperate attempt to keep Joanne close, he proposed to her. Vulnerable, and under his thumb, Joanne accepted. The pair went to Chris’ marital home, packed up his belongings, and set off on a drive to Queensland.
While Chris and Joanne were pulling their runner, Lyn was waiting for Chris to pick her up from work. Lyn didn’t drive – Chris had never let her, keeping her movements under his control – and she had limited avenues of transportation. When it was clear Chris had somehow forgotten her, she called for a taxi to take her home. When she arrived, she saw all of Chris’ belongings were gone, and a note that said: “I’ve left you. Please don’t paint too dark a picture of me to the girls.”
Lyn was in shock. She hadn’t realized that, despite his affairs, he would actually leave her. And now she was stuck with numerous expensive bills, and two daughters, on a part-time salary. She’d never make it on her own.
The close Chris and Joanne got to the border between New South Wales and Queensland, Joanne was having major doubts. She didn’t want to be married to Chris. She didn’t want to be the reason his family broke apart. This was all way too much, way too fast. This was too adult for her. She wanted to go home.
Chris was fuming. He was losing Joanne, and he knew it. He needed to come up with a plan. But to do that, he appeased Joanne’s demands and turned around and went home. He dropped Joanne off at Paul’s on Christmas day, as Chris went home to do damage control.
Chris’ temper was worse than ever. He was angry all the time, and taking it out on Lyn. Desperate to keep her marriage intact, Lyn begged Chris to try couple’s counselling. He agreed, and their first session was booked on January 8th, 1984.
Joanne hoped she’d seen the last of Chris, and went to stay with her sister.
On January 8th, 1982, Chris and Lyn went to their session. On the way, Chris was violent towards Lyn. He shook her, and informed her that he would only do this once. If it didn’t work, he told her that he would get rid of her.
Lyn phoned her mother after the session, and told her that it had cone well. She then boasted that her husband had made her a very lovely drink, and that she would see her mother the next day, when they met up to swim at the Northbridge Baths, where Chris worked during his breaks from school.
This was the last time anyone heard from or saw Lynette Dawson alive.
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Sources:
Chris Dawson found guilty of murdering wife Lynette in Sydney 40 years ago – Nino Bucci – The Guardian
Teacher’s Pet case: ‘Tell us where mum is’, Chris Dawson’s daughter begs – Tiffanie Turnbull – BBC News
‘I hope I’ve honoured you well’: Shanelle Dawson reclaims her mother’s story in one of two new books on Lyn Dawson – Rachel Franks – The Conversation
RedHanded podcast – Episodes 324 and 325 – The Vanishing of Lynette Dawson
The Teacher’s Pet podcast – The Australian