Peter Falconio murder: Joanne Lees reportedly exploring site for memorial
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Version 0 of 1. Fifteen years after her boyfriend Peter Falconio was murdered in the Australian outback, Joanne Lees has reportedly returned to the Northern Territory to explore potential sites to build a memorial. The British backpackers were attacked in 2001 by the side of the Stuart Highway near Barrow Creek after a man in a ute, Bradley Murdoch, gestured to them to pull over. Murdoch told the couple that he noticed they were having problems with their Kombi van. He shot Falconio as they inspected the rear of the van while Lees waited in the front seat. Murdoch then attacked and bound Lees by the hands, but she managed to escape into the bush while Murdoch was moving Falconio’s body. While Murdoch was convicted of murder in 2005, he has refused to reveal the location of Falconio’s body, which has never been found. According to News Corp Australia Lees returned to Australia in May. In August, she met Aboriginal elders in the central Australian town of Ti Tree to discuss an appropriate site to build a memorial for Falconio. She reportedly chose Ti Tree because Barrow Creek, about 100km away and the site of Falconio’s murder, was too painful for her to visit. Ti Tree is the town where the couple last refuelled and watched the sunset together before they were attacked. Lees also met with a couple from the community of Ali Currung who provided evidence at Murdoch’s trial that helped lead to his conviction, and toured the area with former police officer Libby Andrew, who supported her in the aftermath of the crime. According to News Corp, Lees will raise funds for the memorial by holding a one-day, invitation-only Aboriginal art sale at Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Women’s Centre on 28 October, and has decided on a large sculpture of a bird to be called ‘Falcon Dreaming’ as the memorial. She has commissioned the sculptor Ewen Coates to create the work. The invitation to the fundraising art sale reportedly reads: “Joanne has returned to Australia to raise money for a permanent memorial to Peter, which will celebrate life and recognise his example — encouraging people to explore and embrace the world and cultures around them”. |