Shortcut: The Day a Prison Escapee Kidnapped a School
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What happened when Edwin John Eastwood first burst into Waureen State School?
This is Australian True Crime with Michelle Laurie. In 1977, 20-year-old teacher Rob Hunter had been working at Waureen State School in Gippsland for just nine days. Then a convicted kidnapper and prison escapee arrived at the school with a gun. Rob and his nine students were taken hostage and forced on a terrifying journey through rural Victoria. Rob tells the story in his book Day Nine at Waureen. This is Australian True Crime. We acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which this podcast is created, the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation. And a warning, this episode of the podcast contains graphic descriptions of violence.
February the 14th, 1977, 20 years of age, my ninth day of teaching.
In total, not just there.
That's right. Ninth day of teaching ever. Newly qualified, a one-teacher school, all on my own as an adult and with nine children. And then Monday morning, February the 14th, let the children out for recess at 10.30 as normal. And moments later, they came racing back inside saying, Mr. Hunter, Mr. Hunter, there's a man outside with a gun. And I went to the door and I was forcefully met by this balaclava hooded man. He had a Collingwood beanie over his head as a balaclava, Michelle.
And a lot of Melburnians listening will say, that's a pretty serious character.
He'd cut out some slots for his eyes and it was sort of just over his nose. His mouth was free. He was sweating, panting, excited, pointing a gun directly at my chest. Get back inside or I'll fucking shoot you.
My God. And all the kids come in? Did you...
Yeah, so we all stayed pretty calm. The children were looking at me thinking, Mr. Hunter, what's going on here? And I just played it as cool as you could possibly try to be.
How did the teacher and his nine students react as the gun‑wielding kidnapper took them hostage?
And no tears. Kids started asking questions. What? What? Who are you? Where are we going? And he's telling us, I'm just going to take you away for a little while until my demands are met. And the children say, where? Why? Who? How long? And
what? I mean, I don't know if the kids are wondering this, but you must be like, what demands? How could anyone benefit from kidnapping you and some
kids? It didn't make sense.
No.
It really didn't make sense. I didn't even think of the word kidnap. He was mean to me. He was very forceful to me. With the children, he played it down. Just do what I say, kids. I'm not a bad man. I'm not going to hurt you. Just do what I say. But if you don't do what I say, teach will get it.
Jeez. So I'm thinking this is about midday when he comes in.
Why did Eastwood repeat the Faraday kidnapping and what were his demands?
This is after morning
tea. Yeah, 10.30
recess. Oh, wow. And he must have been thinking, we all know school wraps at about three. So at three o'clock, there's going to be lots of parents there. He's got this window.
So this was his MO. He'd done this before. Faraday kidnapping, 1972, Mary Gibbs. She'd been the hero of that story.
Who was this bloke? Tell us, how did he get here?
So this is Edwin John Eastwood, famous for the Faraday kidnapping.
Why wasn't he in jail by the time?
He should have been. He was in jail, but yeah, on good behavior at Geelong Jail, he was able to escape.
So what was the purpose then, do you think, for him in committing this crime again? I
think one of the main reasons was he was cheesed off with the police. He believed that Robert Boland, his accomplice at Faraday, was innocent. And so he needed to do it again and get Robert Boland released. So his
main
demand was 14 different prisoners who were his friends in Pentridge Jail. He wanted their release. Soon after 11, his little one-ton Dodge Utility backed up to the school, piled all the children in the back, and I was on the floor in the front passenger.
For how long? How long was the drive, do you reckon?
Two and a half hours till we came to an abrupt stop, an accident. We ran into a logging truck at a little place called English's Corner.
What happened to the driver of that truck?
What was the journey like from the school to Eastwood’s remote campsite?
Yes, the gun gets pulled on him. So that's Robin Smith.
He
becomes the hero. And his little brother's there with him that day, David. David's 17. Robin's about 25 years of age. He's a father of a few children.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What happened when Edwin John Eastwood first burst into Waureen State School?
0:03–2:20
2
How did the teacher and his nine students react as the gun‑wielding kidnapper took them hostage?
2:20–3:21
3
Why did Eastwood repeat the Faraday kidnapping and what were his demands?
3:21–5:12
4
What was the journey like from the school to Eastwood’s remote campsite?
5:12–6:56
5
How did Robin ‘Singlet’ Smith become the night‑time hero and help the group escape?
6:56–8:26
6
What unfolded during the high‑speed police chase and road‑block showdown?
8:26–10:28
7
What was the fate of Edwin John Eastwood after his capture and how did his life end?
10:28–12:28
8
How can listeners learn more from Rob Hunter’s book and his Kidnapped Teacher Talks program?
12:28–14:46