Biography

Estelle Blackburn is a journalist who, with no experience of the law, made legal history by challenging the justice system and exposing two terrible injustices in the 1960s. Her relentless sleuthing led to the longest-standing convictions ever to be overturned in Australia when John Button was exonerated in 2002 and Darryl Beamish was exonerated in 2005.

John Button, then 19, was convicted of killing his girlfriend by running her down in 1963. Darryl Beamish, a deaf-mute then 20, was convicted in 1961 of the frenzied axe murder of former Melbourne socialite Jillian Brewer 18 months earlier. Youths when they were sent to stark, convict-built Fremantle Prison, they were finally exonerated 39 years and 44 years later, after completing their sentences and becoming grandfathers.

They had lost all hope of clearing their names until Estelle met John Button in 1992 after meeting his brother by chance at a dance a few months earlier, and listened to his cries of innocence. Her research and investigation turned her life upside down. She sold her house to fund her six years of work, leaving no stone unturned in her search for the truth.

Estelle has been described as Australia’s Erin Brockovich for her arduous, determined search for previously unknown facts, previously unpublicised crimes that had an impact on Cooke’s veracity and the victims of them. She found 11 women who had been attacked by Cooke in similar modi operandi as the murders attributed to Button and Beamish, she found a new witness who could corroborate Cooke’s confession to the hit run, and she extracted important information that turned around two original Crown witnesses.

Her resultant book Broken Lives quickly led to the State Government granting new appeals, and her crusade continued, campaigning to convince a skeptical public and working with pro bono lawyers to prepare the appeals.

In all, it took a total of 13 years’ voluntary effort for her to help two men who had been strangers to her.

“It’s been a real privilege to be able to use my journalism skills to really make a difference,” Estelle says. “I couldn’t have slept at night if I had ignored them once I knew they were truly innocent. While it has impoverished me financially, it has enriched me in every other way."

As well as helping Button and Beamish, it’s helped a lot of other women who survived Cooke’s attacks, but who, because of a police cover-up, weren’t known about publicly until I found them and persuaded them to reveal their stories. “It was difficult looking for women so long after the event, with different names and addresses, but I managed to find them, even one living in the north of Queensland and one living in New Zealand."

“It took a lot of cross-matching old and current electoral rolls and telephone books, phoning everyone with that name asking whether they knew them, and knocking on doors of the streets where they used to live in the hope of finding a neighbour who could tell me where they had gone or who they had married.”

Estelle found other key witnesses by the same method, and a newspaper-owner friend Bret Christian helped with scientific evidence for Button’s appeal and further detailed work on Beamish’s new appeal.

Estelle said her research, writing, legal work and court success proved the power of one, and that one person, or a small group of volunteers, could beat the monolith of the justice system.

“It’s given other prisoners hope and put all players in the justice system on notice,” she said.

“Every police officer who takes short cuts, fabricates confessions or fits the evidence to the person they decide is the culprit, every over-zealous prosecutor, every witness who doesn’t quite tell the truth, every juror who lets emotion overrule the facts, will know that one day, even 30 years later, somebody may bring that to light.”

She gave up full-time work to research and write Broken Lives and work on the resultant Court of Criminal Appeal hearings. Offered a scholarship to do a PhD at Murdoch University, she now also works part-time while also continuing her efforts for the wrongfully convicted.



			Biography Estelle Blackburn is a journalist who, with no experience of the law, made legal history by challenging the justice system and exposing two terrible injustices in the 1960s. Her relentless sleuthing led to the longest-standing convictions ever to be overturned in Australia when John Button was exonerated in 2002 and Darryl Beamish was exonerated in 2005. John Button, then 19, was convicted of killing his girlfriend by running her down in 1963. Darryl Beamish, a deaf-mute then 20, was convicted in 1961 of the frenzied axe murder of former Melbourne socialite Jillian Brewer 18 months earlier. Youths when they were sent to stark, convict-built Fremantle Prison, they were finally exonerated 39 years and 44 years later, after completing their sentences and becoming grandfathers. They had lost all hope of clearing their names until Estelle met John Button in 1992 after meeting his brother by chance at a dance a few months earlier, and listened to his cries of innocence. Her research and investigation turned her life upside down. She sold her house to fund her six years of work, leaving no stone unturned in her search for the truth. Estelle has been described as Australia’s Erin Brockovich for her arduous, determined search for previously unknown facts, previously unpublicised crimes that had an impact on Cooke’s veracity and the victims of them. She found 11 women who had been attacked by Cooke in similar modi operandi as the murders attributed to Button and Beamish, she found a new witness who could corroborate Cooke’s confession to the hit run, and she extracted important information that turned around two original Crown witnesses. Her resultant book Broken Lives quickly led to the State Government granting new appeals, and her crusade continued, campaigning to convince a skeptical public and working with pro bono lawyers to prepare the appeals. In all, it took a total of 13 years’ voluntary effort for her to help two men who had been strangers to her. “It’s been a real privilege to be able to use my journalism skills to really make a difference,” Estelle says. “I couldn’t have slept at night if I had ignored them once I knew they were truly innocent. While it has impoverished me financially, it has enriched me in every other way." As well as helping Button and Beamish, it’s helped a lot of other women who survived Cooke’s attacks, but who, because of a police cover-up, weren’t known about publicly until I found them and persuaded them to reveal their stories. “It was difficult looking for women so long after the event, with different names and addresses, but I managed to find them, even one living in the north of Queensland and one living in New Zealand." “It took a lot of cross-matching old and current electoral rolls and telephone books, phoning everyone with that name asking whether they knew them, and knocking on doors of the streets where they used to live in the hope of finding a neighbour who could tell me where they had gone or who they had married.” Estelle found other key witnesses by the same method, and a newspaper-owner friend Bret Christian helped with scientific evidence for Button’s appeal and further detailed work on Beamish’s new appeal. Estelle said her research, writing, legal work and court success proved the power of one, and that one person, or a small group of volunteers, could beat the monolith of the justice system. “It’s given other prisoners hope and put all players in the justice system on notice,” she said. “Every police officer who takes short cuts, fabricates confessions or fits the evidence to the person they decide is the culprit, every over-zealous prosecutor, every witness who doesn’t quite tell the truth, every juror who lets emotion overrule the facts, will know that one day, even 30 years later, somebody may bring that to light.” She gave up full-time work to research and write Broken Lives and work on the resultant Court of Criminal Appeal hearings. Offered a scholarship to do a PhD at Murdoch University, she now also works part-time while also continuing her efforts for the wrongfully convicted.