It's finally over for Lindy Chamberlain

Like a lot of Australian’s – and probably people all around the world – I was sceptical of Lindy Chamberlain’s claim that a dingo stole baby Azaria in 1980. It all sounded so far-fetched and the media were generally anti-Lindy when it came to reporting the story.

There was wild speculation about Jehovah’s Witnesses and other 'non conformist'religions having strange rituals, about “Azaria” meaning something weird or strange in another language, the parent’s attitude and demeanor when interviewed or in court (sees Lindy’s comments about that in the story I’ve linked here by the way) and about the likelihood of a dingo being strong enough to carry off a nine week old baby anyway.

The one thing that stopped me from being ‘anit-Lindy’ was the element of a mother’s love for her baby. Azaria was not her first child and the pressures that new mothers face (post-natal depression, etc) didn’t seem to be a factor. The thought that Lindy could have murdered Azaria (with scissors, I think was the verdict) was just totally against common sense to me.

I have to admit, I was a bit of a coward when it came to this case. I avoided discussions where possible and felt really uncomfortable around people who had strong opinions either way on the matter. The case seemed to polarise society, with the majority believing in her guilt.

Both Lindy and her husband Michael were convicted. Appeals and court cases followed and the conviction was eventually quashed and she received around $1M in compensation. Her marriage broke up her family was split. At least one of her children has been severely emotionally affected by it (traumatised wouldn’t be too strong a word, it seems).

And now, 32 years after the event, a coroner has finally decreed that it was a dingo. So, why does my blog focussing on things that are good in the world contain a story about Lindy Chamberlain??

Read the story in the attached link. You’ve got to admire this woman and her attitude. She is congratulating a journalist/entertainer who apologised on-air for the way she judged Lindy and her husband. I don’t know about anyone reading this blog entry, but I think I’d have understood if Lindy had come out and said: “F*** the lot of you! How do you feel now you heartless bastards?”

Instead, she describes Wendy harmer as ‘courageous’ and complimented her for apologising.

And THAT’S one of the things that are good in the world today.

Sydney Morning Herald Story today