Finally - Face to Face.

Approche production.

Well, this is pretty crazy face to face.

Yeah, wow, how's that I sat in this room?

Or in April of twenty twenty three?

That long ago?

That's how long ago?

It was thirty other episodes ago.

Yeah, there's a long it was only supposed to be eight.

That's incredible.

So here we are, You've got a coffee. We're in the shed.

But the good news is is just behind the shed is the building.

It's pretty excity.

Yeah.

Last week you heard me sit down with Jackie Lamby at the shed in Saint Helen's. While there, I got the chance to sit down with Jason and Amanda the first time face to face in almost two years. At the table with us was also the person we've called a torpedo throughout the series. She's been in an immense help in progressing Eden's case. She doesn't want accolades, she just wants to help. Like most people connected with Jason and Amanda, it's not about praise. It's about finding an

We've had a good friend that's visitors in the last couple of days who commended Amanda and how we've done that.

But you've got to be mindful.

They were little and once they started to get bigger, they started to leave and go to the defense.

So we're leaving at seventeen to go.

To the army.

And when you look at them on the wall, look at Justine at seventeen, the baby a seventeen, their baby face children off to the Australian Army.

Maybe that put them in good stead with.

The way we live to be able to do the army because we know we live in this environment with the portoloo with a outside shower and living in the shed, so you know, camp and in a trench.

Wasn't that bad that Tim and Justine?

I really want the audience to know what you are like as people, right and I've always said you assaulted the earth people and I love you both for that. But it was interesting this morning. We've had Jackie Lamby here which you heard in the previous episode, and one of her people who was with her needed to go to the toilet and there was the Hey, by the way, it's a long drop.

It's just a long drop.

Fidestar camp. This is five star camping.

It's probably going to be.

A bit different.

We actually put the throne in the other day of the plumbing and the septic.

Now royal flush, the Royal flush, and it is going to.

Be the Royal flush because we've got the septic into from the slab stage to the septic in the ground.

And now because we're.

On rule and we need a septic system in, we're going to go environmentally friendly and new REGs have come in. Okay, those new riggs are going to cost us about twenty five thousand dollars.

From where we're in the ground at the moment.

So that rule of lass a day plus.

Yeah, she'll be a royal flush alright.

So it's going to be a day to celebrate.

But in saying that we have become who we are because of our environment, and we look at history and the way that people have lived in other parts of the world and even in Australia at times, and we thought, you know what, we can do this. We've got a roof over our head, we've got running water, we have electricity, what more.

Do you need?

And you've got a beautiful family and yeah.

And we have our own food growing all the time.

So and the family was so young that they didn't question it.

They just said, this is great.

We get to run outside and have a big opening for a door and go in and appreciating.

They all appreciate the way we brought them up. There's not one of them that haven't appreciated it.

No, And it's not to say we don't like nice things.

I love nice sense.

It's just that when you dealt with something, it's how you respond to it. And we just tried to make it as comfortable as possible. And if it wasn't comfortable, we just simply wouldn't be here. And that's the bottom line. And I'm a woman and I want comforts.

We've heard over the last three episodes ten reasons why Eden's case should be relooked at. We heard Jackie Lamby last week in person sitting where we're sitting right now. And then we heard her speech which was impassion in parliament.

That's the way Jackie does it.

This is a really tough time for you guys, because it's ten years since Eden passed.

You say that, Jay, it is tough.

But as you know, I saw Jackie here being interviewed by you, and to see that woman of such strong character and personality in tears over Eden, that was incredibly emotional. To see such a strong woman so hurt by what the injustice Worth experienced. She feels it. And that's what Jackie said to me. When she stands for someone, she feels it. When she goes into her veterans family and

And it may not look like sometimes that we're hurting or we're getting on with life or we're doing something fun, because we're actually allowed to still find joy. But Jason and I always hurt. We're always hurting. Whenever we're writing a letter, we're always hurting. We put on a brave front, but we're in pain every day. And we might be in the garden or we might be out doing something

So when I seen.

Jackie upset, I just had to hold her. I had to let her know that this is what we feel every day. We wake up in the morning and it's real. It's gone. She's not with us anymore, and she's been murdered. Somebody has actually done this to her. It's heinous knowing what has happened to her, it's cruel.

You could tell that Jackie is a politician that's doing this for notoriety or to enhance a campaign of any sort.

She's already great.

She's doing it because she cares.

Yeah, she's a real person.

Yeah, she's not.

Some phony that's standing in front of the people asking the people to agree with the lies. They want me to agree with a lie against my own child, and I didn't even lie to her, only about Santa Claus.

I'm not sure if over the last few years I've adequately conveyed what wonderful people Jason Amanda are. Not just discreeving parents, but in general. I admire them for how they talk about their kids, but you can also hear it in the way the kids talk about them. Earlier in the morning, before we started recording, I was setting up their eldest daughter, Bobby Lee called to talk to

Yeah, how special is that?

It's nice that they want to share those moments with their mum and dad, and we are part of those moments because we feel that Bobby Lee's a really bubbly, out going personality, as you know, and it was nice to see that that's what she's getting from her workplace and the customers, and she.

Calls us often.

Previously it's been spoken the compliments, so this one was actually written to her boss, so that's why she was able to say it was written again. But she's called us when anybody's ever been kind to her, or people from Saint Helen's have even gone there, and she calls us and tells us. And it's a good will story because there is a lot of hurt in our family and our children suffer.

Probbly defines other parents on how often that children call them. She says, I call you every day, Dad, Mum, And that's why because of the parents you are. So we're lucky because we're a close knit family.

And even some of the siblings say, oh, you do too much for this one, and you do too much. You don't have to do that for me, and you don't. We say no, this is the parent that we choose to be where there's soft place to land. We hope like what you've given us a soft place to land.

It's really interesting.

So using that analogy around Bobby Lee calling Mum and Dad to say I've got a really nice compliment, and then Justine's milling around here, I met her for the first time today, and a lovely girl. And we were just sitting out there talking and she was telling me the story of how dad's a great horse rider and we're all going to go horse riding, and Dad's got this photo of him with his shirt off and a gun slung over his back on a horse. It's beautiful hearing how your children.

Talk about you.

And Jason was always in cutoff jeans looking like a little hottie, even back when we were just friends.

We both used to look at each other like you're cute.

And then later on in life, when I was nineteen and he was twenty one, I think.

You put brown eyed girl. She was nineteen, I was twenty one, thirty five years later.

So a lots happened in the last ten years. Things sort of felt like they were moving towards the end of twenty twenty four, you know, we had a couple of conversations with Guy Barnett. It seemed like it was all positive, and then sort of we hit the Christmas break and everything just a massive handbrake on any action from the government and the people in power currently. How are you feeling about the lack of action in the last couple of months.

Well, when somebody doesn't put something in writing to me, I don't believe what they say. So when anybody has said to me verbally they're going to do something, I take it with a grain of salt. In regards to the Attorney General, he has said nice things. I'm yet

So I'm wondering has it.

Got anything to do with Port Arthur because they never had an inquest. Not one single person that lost a family member in Port Arthur got an inquest. And funnily enough, Paul Reynolds bragged about being part of that scene and two unsolved murders in Saint Helen's and Bo Marris. How do you brag about being part of such a messy, messy thing.

Going back to Guy Barnett and what he's promised and what he's said to us, I feel the procrastinations. The old thing is the theft and on borderline think what's happening is quite gutless and weak, and I'm angry about it because we're just being treated with contempt and my children and we thought, well further than that, and it doesn't seem like we are.

We've been writing several.

Letters to the Minister of Police Felix, and he won't even right back.

Jay.

Now that's alarming and it's concerning, and I'm not sure why he's not acknowledging me he's handing them over to the Police Commissioner, because I get an email the very next day, but I have not heard one response from the Police Minister Felix. They won't even open the conversation. And get this, that's concerning.

At the tabling of the Royal Commission into Ashley Detention Center, there was a little tea party afterwards, and I'm standing there by myself and I've got these men be lining me, Jeremy Ratcliffe, Michael Ferguson, Felix, Alex all asking me about this situation with Felix. And then I said, what is it going to take another one of my kids to be killed? And I was expecting Felix to say, of course, not missus Westbrook. But he didn't say anything. He did

Is thinking like that wing from it's.

Coming from the head and the fish rots from the head down.

How was it hearing Jackie talk about what she wants, the rope, the autopsy photos, the change to the law.

How did that make you feel empowered? Fierce a little territorial. We've got the right person on our team. She's legit, she's straight up, she's accountable, she served our country. How can somebody that has that much knowledge on this country not be recognized as somebody that is great. She's always making a friends, always kept more people alive in this country than I can.

She's Australia politician currently at the moment, and I don't think she has anything to worry about getting elected in because Jackie does her job.

From my experience, she does what she says she's going to do it.

And she's not just paying people. She's not giving this community a new soccer field and a new toilet block to get things.

Jackie Lamby is really loved in Tasmania, which was evident on the day I arrived. Contractors kept turning up to Jason and Amanda's place to work on their new house, and each of them wanted to talk to Jackie.

Because we're in the build, We've got people that are arriving at different times, and we had the pump guy come. The concrete pump is at Jackie Lamby. I know Jackie, he says, I've got to go and talk to Jackie. He went down and shook her hand and give her a Huggy's edmember and she knew him. Amanda takes Jackie around to have a look at the Kiwi for it. Our name over next door Ollen is that Jackie And he said, we love you, Jackie.

And these are just typical men that admire her.

And that's what I see out there in society.

We all love Jackie. Mate. How can you not love that? Woman.

I've seen that woman cry, you mate, crying over my daughter.

That was so emotional.

Jake, I think it's to you get really heavily involved and you see they're hurt.

It's been going on too long.

I just we just want to know the truth.

And it's more important of the West Books than the kids to know what happened to their daughter.

And their sister. And we need to know this and they're never going to move on.

We're in good hands with Jackie, and we're in good hands with another couple of people too, which I can't mention one sitting.

Around the table really hard. Yeah, but what we can't.

Mention, No, we're talking about the torpedo who's going full double eight.

But let's move on book A knowledge on also name.

There's been a couple of things that have happened that are outside of the Eden case, which shows you now have the support of the community. The first is the card that you showed me. You've heard me talk about how much I admired Jason and Amanda, but here's a story that sort of epitomizes who they are as people. Just before Christmas, Jason was at the local ida and saw a woman who had locked her keys in a car. She recognized Jason from the podcast, and she asked him for help.

Hunter.

As you know, I was down with Jack for the holidays and they were in the car park.

She needed something from me. So I've driven down there and.

I'm just having a conversation with a lot good Hunter.

How you go on? And this woman said, excuse me, are you Jason Westbrook.

I've been listening to the podcast sent me her best wishes and I said, oh, yeah, thanks so much.

And then she says, oh, look, I've actually locked my keys.

In my dad's truck. Would you go able to help me? I had some wire and that wrapped aside went and got that and I got in and I just couldn't get it. And I said, oh, look, I'm sorry. I said, are you with RACT? She says no, but my daughter is. I said I will give them a call. They'll come and unlock it. Anyway, I ended up getting her to ring and she says, oh, my daughter's an RACT member and he says no, she in the car and she said no, well, I can't come because you've got to

I'm sitting with the passenger.

It comes along five minutes later and he pulls it out. She was so happy, and she's pulled out like I saw two fifty dominapes and she says like, look, I just want to pay you for what you did. I said, I don't want your money. Married Christmas. She said, look, thanks so much, and she's left.

Yesterday was it yesterday? Day before? I was doing it up at the slab and the car's pulled and I.

Heard the dog's bark, and then I've heard Amanda come around with some guy I've never seen, and he's got these cards in his hand and he's there.

I saw the woman that I helped, and she said, get Jason.

I couldn't not come thank you personally.

I just want my husband day May.

We just wanted to give you this card, so I'm going to read it to you.

Jay to Jason, thank you for your.

Kind act in the supermarket car park and helping me with the ract after locking my keys and my dad's lean cruiser. Forever grateful with regards, Tracy, Amanda and Jason, keep advocating for your family and dear Eden, your strength and unity is inspiring with.

Love, and give us a fifty dollars voucher for this.

Yeah, there was a fifty dollar voucher which we because there was everyone coming, We've got cheese platter.

Yeah.

And then when I arrived this morning, I was talking to Jason. He was on the bar out the front and doing a quick mail of the lawns before everyone gets here, and he said, oh, Jay, you're not going to believe this. I've been nominated. Tell me about them. Tell me about the award, Jason, because I think again, this is just highlights now.

I received one on two letters of received Jacob. One was on the third of January. This is from the Breaka Day Camp from my friends mate. Actually, the man Mick Tucker would like to invite you to attend Australia Day Awards which are being held at the Portland Hall on Friday, the twenty sixth of January twenty twenty five at eleven am. You are receiving an invitation as you have been nominated for Australia Day Award.

How good?

Yeah, what regard?

Why citizen for mowing and looking after the Fisherman's Memorial Park for the last decade for not only Eden, but for the fishermen that have lost their lives while pursuing their careers.

And you don't get paid for that.

It's a labor of love. We do love to do that.

The fishermen's widows were getting a little old, so they weren't able to look after it to the point where they would have liked it because they planted all the trees and all the gardens that are in there. So we took over it. The council and us all worked together to make sure that the whole town smote at the same time.

When I got this letter, I took a photo of it and sent it to Donnie, my youngest son, Dante.

He said, well, it makes goddamn sense.

You're a great citizen, you know what, Jay, I don't care what happens on that day. To get that from my youngest son, that means everything to me so great.

I really appreciate being nominated. I've already won.

When my son writes that to me, mate, I'm chuffed, truly.

And it was the cheeky couple from Swansea that did the stickers in the badge that nominated Jason and I call them cheeky because they wrote to the Westbrook Legends.

At the start of each year, people do a vision board. I want to pose the question to you to what does twenty twenty five look like in regards to Eden.

Well, for a premonition that I can see the autopsy photos will be released, those that are unattainable would have stepped down and have no longer a position of authority, power and respect, because once we have them, we can concur with what's been told to us from witnesses that see Eden on that night, and it's awful, it's really horrible, But we need them to take the next step forward.

Yeah, I'd like to see laws change that need to change, and accountability to those that have lied.

We're not agreeing with the lie either.

Everyone that history likes to do history likes to say, well, let's all just agree on the one lie, shall we.

No, we're not agreeing with any of that.

Some of them may die with the lie, but I can assure you the ones that you don't know don't want to die with the lie.

They want a clear conscience. They're spilling the tea and that's why.

Jackie says, everybody come clean and we might have a little lenience for you.