Michael Chamberlain facts for kids

Michael Leigh Chamberlain (born 27 February 1944 – died 9 January 2017) was a writer, teacher, and pastor from New Zealand and Australia. He became widely known because of a very sad event in August 1980. His baby daughter, Azaria, went missing while the family was camping near Uluru in Australia.

At first, Michael and his wife, Lindy, were wrongly accused of being involved in Azaria's disappearance. Lindy was even found guilty of murder, and Michael was found guilty of helping after the fact. However, it was later proven that Azaria was taken by a dingo (a type of wild dog). A special investigation in 1987 officially cleared their names. This case was very famous and caused a lot of discussion in public and in the news.

Early Life and Career as a Pastor

Michael Chamberlain was born in Christchurch, New Zealand. He was the oldest son of Ivan and Greta Chamberlain. His father worked in the Royal New Zealand Air Force during World War II. His mother helped manage the Seventh-day Adventist Church in southern New Zealand.

Michael went to Lincoln High School and Christchurch Boys' High School. He started studying at the University of Canterbury. In 1965, he became a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. After this, he moved to Australia. He then studied at Avondale College in Cooranbong. In 1969, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theology. He met Lindy Murchison in 1968, and they got married in 1969.

After finishing his studies, Michael worked as a Seventh-day Adventist minister in Tasmania. Lindy gave birth to their first two children there: Aidan (born 1973) and Regan (born 1976). In 1977, the family moved to Queensland. There, Michael created and hosted a radio show called The Good Life. This show talked about lifestyle and culture in northern Queensland. Their third child, Azaria, was born in Mount Isa on 11 June 1980.

The Disappearance of Azaria

In August 1980, the Chamberlain family went on holiday to Darwin, Northern Territory. Michael planned to go fishing for barramundi. However, Lindy had visited Uluru (also known as Ayers Rock) when she was 16 and wanted to go back. So, the family decided to camp there for three days before going to Darwin.

While camping at Uluru, the family saw several dingoes. On the evening of 17 August, Michael even fed a piece of bread crust to one. Shortly before 8:00 pm, Lindy put Azaria to sleep in their tent. She then returned to the campfire. Around 8:00 pm, Azaria cried out and then disappeared from their tent. She was never seen again.

Investigators found dingo paw prints inside the tent. Later, Azaria's bloodstained clothes were found among rocks near the base of Uluru. A first investigation in Alice Springs, Northern Territory, in 1981, concluded that a dingo had taken the baby. However, a second investigation in Darwin in 1982 changed this finding.

Lindy Chamberlain was then put on trial for murder and given a life sentence. Michael was found guilty of being an accessory after the fact, meaning he was accused of helping after the event. He received an eighteen-month suspended sentence. This meant he did not have to go to prison.

While Lindy was in prison in Darwin, she gave birth to their fourth child, Kahlia (born 1982). Two weeks later, Michael earned a Master of Arts degree from Andrews University. He later said that his anger towards the Northern Territory government helped him keep studying during this very hard time.

The truth about the case finally came out because of an unexpected discovery. In early 1986, a tourist named David Brett died after falling from Uluru during a night climb. It took eight days to find his body because of the large size of the rock and the thick bush around it. His body was found in an area where dingoes lived. As police searched the area for missing bones that dingoes might have carried away, they found a small piece of clothing. It was quickly identified as the missing matinee jacket belonging to Azaria. This was a very important piece of evidence in the Chamberlain case.

Because of this new evidence, the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory ordered Lindy Chamberlain to be released immediately. The case was reopened. A special investigation called a Royal Commission looked into the case against the Chamberlains in 1987. The scientific evidence used against them was questioned. On 15 September 1988, the Northern Territory Court of Criminal Appeals officially overturned all convictions against Lindy and Michael Chamberlain. This meant they were cleared of all charges. The court found that the main points of the prosecution's case were wrong. They also found that there was bias and incorrect assumptions made during the first trial.

After they were cleared, Michael and Lindy's relationship became difficult, and they divorced in 1991. Three years later, Michael married Ingrid Bergner. In 1996, they had a daughter named Zahra.

Later Life and Career

In 2002, Michael Chamberlain earned a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in education from the University of Newcastle. In the same year, he also graduated from Avondale College with a Bachelor of Teaching degree. This allowed him to teach high school English and history.

Teaching and Writing

Michael returned to Cooranbong in 2006. He taught at Gosford High School until he retired in 2008. In that same year, he published a book called Beyond Ellen White: Seventh Day Adventism in Transition. This book was based on his PhD research.

In 2012, New Holland Publishers released his fourth book, Heart of Stone. This book came out just before the fourth and final investigation into Azaria's disappearance at Uluru. The coroner (the official who investigates deaths) finally declared that a dingo had indeed killed Azaria. The coroner also apologized to the family for the tragedy and for it taking 32 years to find the truth.

In 2014, the National Museum of Australia acquired Michael Chamberlain's Holden Torana car. In 2016, he was appointed a conjoint professor at the University of Newcastle. He worked as a conjoint research fellow in the School of Education.

Death

Michael Chamberlain passed away on 9 January 2017, at the age of 72. He died at Gosford Hospital on the New South Wales Central Coast. His death was due to problems from acute leukaemia, a type of cancer. A farewell service was held for him at the Avondale College's Seventh Day Adventist Church one week later.