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Authors: Candace Sutton
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the wheel of the car, which turned right from Inverary Road and was heading towards Goulburn. For the next 22 kilometres, Smith loosely tailed the suspect.
In Goulburn, Smith found it easy to follow Burrell as he moved around the shops wearing jeans and a yellow jumper. Burrell remained in Goulburn for thirty minutes and then Smith tailed him back to Bungonia where Burrell turned left , heading towards his property. A police check of the Jaguar’s registration number revealed the plates were from a stolen Suzuki Vitari, yet despite this latest revelation, the taskforce still did not know whether Burrell was involved. A car thief he might be, but a kidnapper who was trying to pull off Australia’s biggest ransom demand?
Tomorrow was day seven, when Bernie Whelan’s advertisement would appear in the Public Notice section of Sydney’s Daily Telegraph newspaper, as directed by the ransom note. Bernie had phoned the Telegraph ’s advertising department and submitted the ad. It read: ‘Anyone who witnessed a white Volkswagen beetle parked beside the eastern gates of the Sydney Olympic site at 10.30 p.m. on Tuesday 8.4.97 please call . . .’ The Whelans’ home number lay at the end of the ad.
According to the ransom note, the kidnappers would make contact within three days of this with further instructions. The investigators were hoping Burrell would make a move—and he did. Around 9 a.m. he drove to the BP service station at Marulan, just outside Bungonia but did not buy a newspaper. A decision was made to continue to run the advertisement for the next seven days.
That night Smith stayed behind the Catholic church where the 24-hour surveillance team had set up a command post in the unfenced grounds of the old building. It was the only place from which they had a radio signal through to Richmond. Detective Allan Duncan and Detective Senior Constable Ricky Agius and a couple of technicians were camped in the churchyard in cars wired with equipment, waiting for Burrell. One advantage of Burrell’s isolated locale was he had to drive some distance to get a newspaper.
The next day around 9.20 a.m., Burrell motored up the road, this time in a Mitsubishi Pajero. The Pajero was filthy, covered in mud and dust. Smith followed Burrell up Mountain Ash Road, past the gates of properties—Kangaga, Pinelea, Storyvale—and radioed ahead for his fellow officers to join in the covert pursuit.
At 9.43 a.m., Burrell arrived in the main street of Goul-burn and turned off to the Woolworths shopping centre and into a petrol station, where he filled his vehicle. Smith could see a dog, Burrell’s grey kelpie, Rebel, in the back seat. Smith filmed Burrell from the car as he paid for the gas and drove to another petrol station, where he bought a sandwich and a Daily Telegraph . Was he looking for the advertisement, Smith wondered as he followed the suspect back to Bungonia.
Detective Sergeant Allan Duncan reported to Smith that their mobile command post was the talk of Bungonia and that they must move to a new location, an old tip site off Marulan Road. The team lived there out of one vehicle, with only basic provisions and no running water; each afternoon with the change of shift, a new car would be brought in via Marulan Road, to try to keep the locals guessing.
For the next two days there was no movement through Hillydale’s gate and detectives and the State Technical Intelligence Branch team were uptight. Burrell was holed up inside his house, but what was he doing in there? Destroying evidence, perhaps. Surely he needed milk and bread, beer at least. Police needed to get into Hillydale to look for some sign of Mrs Whelan. Everything was in place for a covert search of the farm.
At 9.35 a.m. on the morning of Friday 16 May, Senior Constable Smith radioed through to Richmond that Burrell was on the move. He was in his Pajero driving towards Goulburn. Bray alerted Goulburn Highway Patrol officers of Burrell’s pending arrival in
In Goulburn, Smith found it easy to follow Burrell as he moved around the shops wearing jeans and a yellow jumper. Burrell remained in Goulburn for thirty minutes and then Smith tailed him back to Bungonia where Burrell turned left , heading towards his property. A police check of the Jaguar’s registration number revealed the plates were from a stolen Suzuki Vitari, yet despite this latest revelation, the taskforce still did not know whether Burrell was involved. A car thief he might be, but a kidnapper who was trying to pull off Australia’s biggest ransom demand?
Tomorrow was day seven, when Bernie Whelan’s advertisement would appear in the Public Notice section of Sydney’s Daily Telegraph newspaper, as directed by the ransom note. Bernie had phoned the Telegraph ’s advertising department and submitted the ad. It read: ‘Anyone who witnessed a white Volkswagen beetle parked beside the eastern gates of the Sydney Olympic site at 10.30 p.m. on Tuesday 8.4.97 please call . . .’ The Whelans’ home number lay at the end of the ad.
According to the ransom note, the kidnappers would make contact within three days of this with further instructions. The investigators were hoping Burrell would make a move—and he did. Around 9 a.m. he drove to the BP service station at Marulan, just outside Bungonia but did not buy a newspaper. A decision was made to continue to run the advertisement for the next seven days.
That night Smith stayed behind the Catholic church where the 24-hour surveillance team had set up a command post in the unfenced grounds of the old building. It was the only place from which they had a radio signal through to Richmond. Detective Allan Duncan and Detective Senior Constable Ricky Agius and a couple of technicians were camped in the churchyard in cars wired with equipment, waiting for Burrell. One advantage of Burrell’s isolated locale was he had to drive some distance to get a newspaper.
The next day around 9.20 a.m., Burrell motored up the road, this time in a Mitsubishi Pajero. The Pajero was filthy, covered in mud and dust. Smith followed Burrell up Mountain Ash Road, past the gates of properties—Kangaga, Pinelea, Storyvale—and radioed ahead for his fellow officers to join in the covert pursuit.
At 9.43 a.m., Burrell arrived in the main street of Goul-burn and turned off to the Woolworths shopping centre and into a petrol station, where he filled his vehicle. Smith could see a dog, Burrell’s grey kelpie, Rebel, in the back seat. Smith filmed Burrell from the car as he paid for the gas and drove to another petrol station, where he bought a sandwich and a Daily Telegraph . Was he looking for the advertisement, Smith wondered as he followed the suspect back to Bungonia.
Detective Sergeant Allan Duncan reported to Smith that their mobile command post was the talk of Bungonia and that they must move to a new location, an old tip site off Marulan Road. The team lived there out of one vehicle, with only basic provisions and no running water; each afternoon with the change of shift, a new car would be brought in via Marulan Road, to try to keep the locals guessing.
For the next two days there was no movement through Hillydale’s gate and detectives and the State Technical Intelligence Branch team were uptight. Burrell was holed up inside his house, but what was he doing in there? Destroying evidence, perhaps. Surely he needed milk and bread, beer at least. Police needed to get into Hillydale to look for some sign of Mrs Whelan. Everything was in place for a covert search of the farm.
At 9.35 a.m. on the morning of Friday 16 May, Senior Constable Smith radioed through to Richmond that Burrell was on the move. He was in his Pajero driving towards Goulburn. Bray alerted Goulburn Highway Patrol officers of Burrell’s pending arrival in
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