Mark Haines coronial inquiry: an uncle's quest for the truth in rural NSW could finally be at its end
For the past 37 years, on the anniversary of his nephew's death, Don Craigie has made a pilgrimage to the Tamworth police station to hold a press conference demanding answers about the grim mystery he has made it his life's mission to solve.
This week, he hopes to get some.
The body of 17-year-old Mark Haines was found on the railway outside Tamworth in January 1988.
The bizarre circumstances of the Gomeroi teenager's death and the initial police investigation have been subjected to intense scrutiny, inspiring a documentary and podcast series in 2018 that helped trigger a fresh coronial inquest, which resumes on Monday.
Craigie still recalls the moment he stood at a taxi rank in his then home town of Moree and his life changed for ever.
'It was pissing down rain all over the north-west,' he said.
'My brother pulled up in his car and told me that Mark was killed … mate, I had this bloody feeling of dread.'
From the outset, it was a strange crime scene. There was a pillow under the teenager's head; there was only a small amount of blood on the tracks; and despite the muddy ground, his shoes were clean.
A crashed white Holden Torana was nearby.
Local police concluded the teenager had likely stolen the car, crashed, walked to the tracks and laid down either deliberately or in a daze.
The family rejected the theory outright. '[We] believed that he met with foul play and we maintain that today,' Craigie said.
An autopsy found Haines died from a traumatic brain injury.
An initial coronial inquest in October 1988 heard that police lost or mishandled key evidence, but was unable to draw conclusions about what led to the teenager's death.
As rumours swirled and an investigation led by Muruwari journalist Allan Clarke unearthed fresh evidence, NSW police reopened their investigation in 2018 and offered a $1m reward for information. They sent a review of the case to the coroner and a second inquest began last April.
To date, the court has heard from the retired police officers in charge of the initial investigation, forensic experts, Haines' friends and others rumoured to have knowledge of the events before his death.
It also heard Haines was partying with friends at a local club the night before his body was found.
This week the inquest moves from Tamworth to Sydney, where the coroner will hear from a dozen witnesses, including a friend who was with Haines that night and is alleged to have made confessions about his involvement in the teenager's death. He has previously denied the allegations in court.
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This week's hearings will also interrogate the adequacy of the original and subsequent police investigations.
Craigie, too, is expected to give evidence, and is making the five-hour drive south to witness the proceedings.
'I need to hear every word and to see everything,' he said.
Back in 1988, he made a promise to Haines' parents.
'I said to them, 'This is going to be a long, drawn out process. I'll deal with this. You just get on with your lives.''
Both have since died.
Hearings are expected to finish on Friday, a year after the inquest began. Initially set down for two weeks over two sittings, the inquiry was due to finish in October, but was adjourned for six months after possible new evidence emerged.
The coroner is expected to deliver her findings in Tamworth later this year.
By then, Craigie's unrelenting quest for answers will have spanned nearly four decades.
Has the 68-year-old has ever felt like it was all too hard?
'Never,' he said.
For information and support in Australia call 13YARN on 13 92 76 for a crisis support line for Indigenous Australians; or call Lifeline on 13 11 14, Mensline on 1300 789 978 and Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636
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