THE Whittlesea Library Author Talk heard author Robyn Howarth revisit one of Australia’s most haunting crimes, the Faraday school kidnapping of 1972, and the long journey toward healing that followed.
Among those attending the talk was Whittlesea resident, Tricia Hayward, whose actions more than 50 years ago helped bring the ordeal to an end.
Ms Hayward, her husband and two friends were out rabbit hunting near Lancefield in the early morning of October 7, 1972 when they came across the terrified young teacher, Mary Gibbs, and six schoolgirls who had escaped their captors.
“We packed the group into our Holden Monaro and drove them to the Lancefield Police Station. We managed to pack five adults and six children into that car,” Ms Hayward said.
“At first the police thought we were the kidnappers but it did not take long to clarify the situation,” she added.
“It’s surreal to see them together again after all these years,” one attendee said as Tricia Hayward and Robyn Howarth shared a quiet moment before the crowd.
Robyn Howarth, who was ten years old at the time, spoke with grace and composure about the traumatic events that shaped her childhood.
Her book, Faraday – A Community Rediscovered, tells the story not only of that fateful day, but also of the resilient community nestled beneath Mount Alexander that was forever changed by it.
“Faraday was such a beautiful part of the world,” she reflected.
“But after that day, it became a word people whispered about, a place known for what happened, not for who we were.”
On October 6, 1972, two masked men stormed Faraday State School 797, taking teacher Mary Gibbs and six students, including Robyn and her sisters Denise and Sue, hostage at gunpoint. The captives were locked overnight in a van while the kidnappers left to collect a ransom.
Displaying extraordinary courage, Ms Gibbs kicked out a panel of the van’s rear door and led the children through the darkness to safety. Their rescue by Tricia Haward and her companions ended the ordeal and made headlines around the nation.
Ms Howarth’s book, written more than five decades later, explores life before and after the kidnapping, the community spirit of rural Victoria, the trauma that followed, and the slow reclaiming of identity.
“It’s taken me 62 years to say with pride that I came from Faraday,” she said.
“This story isn’t just about what was taken, it’s about what we’ve found again: our community, our identity, and our strength.”
