Out from the Cold: Searching for Elaine
It was early 1980 when Elaine Johnson left her family home in southern Sydney.The eldest of five children, Elaine had lived in Kurnell and Cronulla after her family moved to Australia from the UK as Ten Pound Poms.She grew up riding bikes, sunbaking and watching Monty Python on TV.In the weeks leading up to her disappearance, Elaine left home after an argument over a house party.It is believed she stayed with her friend, Kerry Anne Joel.Neither Elaine nor Kerry has been seen since February 1980.For more than 40 years, Elaine’s family has been searching for answers. Th...
Episodes
The Others
Elaine and Kerry’s disappearances were not the first to unsettle The Shire. Sadly, other young girls have also gone missing from Cronulla and nearby areas — cases with striking similarities to Elaine and Kerry’s, and which, like theirs, rem…
The Sisters’ Search
Helen and Wendy have never forgotten their sister, Elaine. In the early days after Elaine went missing they relied on news from family and friends about her whereabouts.As the sisters got older, they broadened their search. Many of the lead…
Going North
There’s a place in Sydney famed for being a hippy haven with a chequered past.During the 1970s, the inner-east suburb of Kings Cross — or The Cross, as locals call it — was a magnet for free spirits, artists, and US soldiers returning from …
Flashes
Flashes, the pinball arcade where Elaine and Kerry hung out with friends, wasn't just a place for kids to play games and grab a burger. It doesn’t exist anymore, but when it did, Flashes was in a string of shops tucked away in a laneway off…
Kerry
Kerry Anne Joel spent much of her teenage years in the beachside suburbs of southern Sydney.When she wasn't at school she spent time at Flashes, an amusement arcade in Cronulla.She also rode her dirt bike on local ovals and was a regular at…
The Wildflower
For many locals, the Sutherland Shire was the model backdrop to beachside life in Australia.A trip to the beach was a daily ritual. Surfers were idolised, beer and barbeques were synonymous and family camping trips were close to mandatory. …
Introducing: Searching for Elaine
For more than 40 years, Elaine Johnson’s family has searched tirelessly for answers. They’ve followed every lead, chased down every reported sighting and refused to give up on her.Over the past two years, investigative journalist Kate Kacho…