Sally Leydon - Searching for Marion: A Daughter’s 29-Year Quest

And now for something completely different...In this episode I chat to Sally Leydon the host of The Missing Matter Podcast. Sally recounts her mother Marion Barter’s disappearance in 1997 and how podcasting transformed her search - from Channel 7’s investigation to her own series, The Missing Matter. She shares the international leads, community detectives who uncovered new evidence, the challenges with police priorities, and her advocacy work including the Green Seat Project to support other families of missing people. Usually Totally Lit focuses on the written word but in this chat Sally and I explore audio storytelling, podcasting and what it is like to work with the media to get your message out.  About Sally: Marion’s daughter and mother of three, Sally works full-time and she is the driving force behind the effort to find out what happened to her mother. For more than 25 years, Sally and police have been investigating what happened, uncovering some astonishing information, including Marion’s name change, the use of her passport to travel back to Australia, how her bank account was emptied at a seaside town, not to mention the rumours at the school where she taught and the stranger she met before she left. Sally is committed to ensuring the missing are not forgotten or dismissed by authorities or communities. She is now launching The Green Seat Project, an initiative dedicated to raising awareness about missing persons. The project aims to collaborate with local governments across Australia and beyond to install green benches equipped with QR codes linking to www.themissingmatter.com, where stories of those lost are visible to all. These seats will provide a peaceful space for families, friends, and communities to sit, reflect, and honour all those who are missing because #themissingmatter. www.sallyleydon.com The Missing Matter The Green Seat Project | The Missing Matter Podcast links: The Missing Matter: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-missing-matter/id1812362613 The Lady Vanishes: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-lady-vanishes/id1457296528 Crime Analyst: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/marion-barter-investigating-my-mums-murder-with-sally/id1545830333?i=1000726858938 Host: Ky Garvey Theme Song: Claire Houghton Logo: Tondo Creative - https://www.tondo.com.au/ Production: Aud Pitch - https://www.virtualcreatrix.com/ Totally Lit is an independent podcast. You can help support us to continue to chat with wonderful Australian creatives by leaving a review on Itunes or sharing our socials with your friends.  You can also make a contribution at: www.buymeacoffee.com/Totallylit For those of you who know me I am kind of a caffeine addict! So you can keep me fueled with caffeine and this will also help with equipment & podcasting platform fees etc.  I love to interact with our listeners so feel free to say hello either by email or social media: [email protected] https://www.facebook.com/totallylitpodcast