Donald Mackay

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Donald Mackay (13 September 1933 - 15 July 1977), was an Australian anti-drugs campaigner who came to fame in 1977 through the circumstances of his presumed abduction and murder.

Mackay was born in Griffith and raised in Sydney. He and his family ran a local furniture business called Mackay's Furniture.

His wife Barbara (1935-2001) was an active member of the Uniting Church in Griffith and directed a great number of musicals for young children in Griffith, including Spindles and the Lamb and It's cool in the Furnace. Today, the Mackay family still has a property in Griffith. Donald Mackay's son, Paul, runs the family furniture store.

In 1972, Mackay stood as a Liberal Party candidate for the Australian House of Representatives against Al Grassby. He also stood for political office in 1973 and 1976 but was never elected.

[edit] Missing person

Concerned about the growing drug trade in his local area, and learning of a large crop of marijuana in nearby Coleambally, Mackay informed Sydney drug squad detectives, resulting in several arrests and the conviction of four men of Italian descent.

Unfortunately for Mackay, at the trial of the men arrested, his name was read out during evidence, identifying him as the whistleblower. An attempt was made to lure Mackay to Jerilderie by an unidentified man who wished to make a large order of furniture from Mackay's family business. Mackay, busy with other matters at the time of the planned meeting, sent an employee who travelled to Jerilderie to meet the man who never arrived. This is believed to have been an attempt to assassinate Mackay.

On July 15, 1977, Mackay disappeared from a hotel car park after having drinks with friends and has never been found. At the scene of Mackay's disappearance, his locked van contained blood stains, his car keys and three spent .22 shotgun shell casings. Due to Mackay's anti-drug campaigning, his disappearance shocked the nation. Many believed Robert Trimbole was responsible for the suspected contract style killing of Mackay.

Mackay's disappearance led to then-premier Neville Wran appointing Justice Philip Woodward to lead the Woodward Royal Commission into the illegal drug trade in New South Wales. In 1979, Woodward found that Mackay had been murdered by a hit man acting on instructions from The Honoured Society, a Griffith-based cell of the Mafia, known in Italy as the 'Ndrangheta.

In 1980, Al Grassby was charged with criminal defamation when it was alleged that he had asked New South Wales state politician, Michael Maher, to read in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly a document that imputed Mackay's wife Barbara and her family solicitor were responsible for Mackay's disappearance. Grassby maintained his innocence and fought a 12-year battle in the courts before he was eventually acquitted on appeal in August 1992 and was awarded AUD$180,000 in costs.

In 1984, the local coroner found that Mackay had been murdered by gunshot. His body has never been recovered.

In 1986 James Frederick Bazley was charged in relation to Mackay's death. Bazley claimed he was innocent, but he convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment.

The annual Donald Mackay Churchill Fellowship was inaugurated in 1987. The Fellowship awards between 80 and 100 fellowships each year for Australians to investigate projects that focus on improving the Australian lifestyle and community.

[edit] References

• Mackay, Donald Bruce (1933 - 1977), Australian Dictionary of Biography, Australian National University.
• The Hit, Courtroom TV Crime Library.
• The Assassination of Mr Donald Mackay, Legislative Council Hansard (Extract).