The South Australian Coroner with shifting positions
You’d expect a state coroner to be a man whose legal opinion could be trusted to remain unchanged in a sine die# case, particularly where no new evidence had been presented and no new witnesses had come forward, as you would rightly expect his opinion to change if indeed new evidence had been presented and new witnesses had come forward.
Which brings us to the two rulings by Coroner Thomas Erskine Cleland in the Somerton Body case. The first was his finding in the 1949 inquest that (quote) Although he died during the night of 30 November – 1st December, I cannot say where he died.
His second finding after resuming the case in 1958 contradicted his first ruling in that he found that the Somerton Man did in fact die where he was found (quote) He died on the shore at Somerton; the Thomsons and Boxall were not mentioned, the circumstances surrounding the finding of the Rubaiyat were not mentioned and neither was the name of the person who found it or the name of the Detective Sergeant who took it from him. In other words, Cleland changed his legal opinion despite that the circumstances of the case did not change, at least as far as he was concerned because he took no notice of the above changes, being apparently oblivious to the these later and crucial developments, which assumes he didn’t read the newspapers and wasn’t kept informed either by his office or by the police. This is preposterous claim as the man was a senior member of the SA judiciary. He did not live in a bubble.
And this confusing state of affairs may lead some to believe that there was something happening behind the scenes both in 1949 and in 1958 and there may be a similar situation existing in 2025, particularly given the long wait for the current SA coroner to deliver a ruling, a ruling that was expected to have been made in early 2024.
‘It is anticipated that the final report will be made available to the State Coroner in early 2024.’
#If a case has been adjourned sin die no date has been set for it to be continued.
The Somerton Man .. 
And the resignation of Vincent Tazia
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https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/dec/05/sa-opposition-leader-steps-down-ahead-of-state-election-in-fourth-liberal-leadership-change-nationally-in-a-month
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Nice portrait of Profesor John B. Cleland in his scholarly robes. How about one of Justice Thomas Cleland in his Judge’s wig & coronial egalia
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Oops .. sorted
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Vincent Tarzia @Tazia ? Never heard of the gentleman; he behind the delay in bringing the ’58 sine die adjournment back to life.
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Tarzia was SA’s Minister for Police, Prisons and Emergency Services from July 2020 to March 2022.
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You wouldn’t believe, that I had S A’s then AG contact Minister Tarzia on my behalf late ’20 early ’21 and got an immediate reply from him in person. He advised that he would pass on my report to his Sapol Commissioner as top priority, thanking me sincerely for being a fine upstanding citizen, or something along those lines…S’welp me.
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Vickie Chapman (Liberal) former SA Attorney-General was fairly gutsy in allowing the exhumation, when John Rau (Labor) had previously disallowed it
Vincent Tarzia (Liberal) is in opposition and opposition doesn’t figure in much because they are not the government
Peter Malinauskas the Premier (Labor) is who you need to talk to. John Rau was one of the Labor cohorts who blocked exhumation
There’s an election on the horizon, so what has Malinauskas (Labor) got to hide before the election, so that he can get over the line.
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I’ve sent a message to the SA Premier.
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Vicki Chapman took the time to answer my mail on more than one occasion, in some detail I might add, on both the SM and Beaumont cases both of which she had studied in law school. We lost contact about the time she was forced to stand down as AG for a petty misunderstanding about development on KI.
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Bet you didn’t know, for what it’s worth, that I was able to trace then AG John Rau to a large S A family of early settlers through his grandmother who was a Keane no less. Could it be that the as AG he rejected permission for SM’s uplift through fear of his being linked by the associated Keane name on a neck tie, and for that reason alone.
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Wouldn’t think so, the name on the tie was a bit this and that and besides, Keane had a useful war, nothing shameful.
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Perhaps it touched a Rau nerve?
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I’m warning you Clive …
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Couple of weeks ago Alan Hamill, as Allan H. was developing some intel. plot in secret with our erstwhile pal over on BS/TS GC being the trusted go between. Nothing further came to light, so it might be appropriate to ask the man himself, while he’s with us, what it was all about. In plain text, not in his usual riddles. How about it then Allan, going to let us in on the big “breakthrough”. Promise to keep mum aye?
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Thanks for your enquiry John. My submission to Gordon related to a testing method for DNA in bones, used in a 1948 Toronto cold case where DNA was reliably extracted, and repeated many times since. It highlighted how SAPOL should have had reliable results within a few days of exhumation. Gordon’s subject was about DNA extraction so was relevant. I must have been on Vickie’s desk at the same time as you awaiting word. And your training and knowledge should tell you I am too low on the food chain to be worthy of a conspiracy partner. But it is good to have you return.
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When they don’t say anything, they know something
I’d say they know for sure by now who SM is, and because of what it is, they don’t want it out there
Premier Peter Malinauskas needs to be asked questions
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“Fine upstanding citizen”, I wonder if Prosper ever received such a reply? Labour, under Peter Malinauskas, seem to be the obvious winners in next years election. The Liberals, now without a leader, are all over the place. If Ashton Hurn is elected as their leader, I can’t see things improving. However, during the electioneering, if she promises to release the SM report, she’ll get my vote!
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Who can believe Cleland wasn’t kept informed about the developments in the case after he adjourned it in 1949?
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Speaking of letters to Sapol and all; Sent one off early October re Leonard Berry bn. 1910 died 1947 UK. whose service details etc. were probably used by Hamstead bn. confidence trickster Henry Solomonson to enter Australia, being then in company with criminal brother John aboard SS Mooltan Sept. 1948. A suitcase & contents thought to belong to Somerton Man’s was found in an Adelaide hotel on 8 Dec. 1948 having been left by a bloke using the name Leonard Berry (see Traish newspapers here). Received a form reply from Sapol but nothing since. I had suggested a name check (prints) through GB records that I felt confident about at the time, not so now, otherwise I’d have been contacted..right?
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It wouldn’t surprise me if Jack Batty replaces Vincent Tarzia as leader of the Liberals SA.
He’s got the blue ribbon seat of Bragg (once Vickie Chapman’s) and you need someone who holds a seat who isn’t going to lose it otherwise you end up looking pretty stupid
Schubert is a safe Liberal seat and there is a strong women’s movement but not sure if she’s viewed as someone to be Premier
Right now, the push needs to be to pin Malinauskas down, before he gets to go to ground with the election approaching, because he’s had almost 4 years and I’d be surprised if the delays haven’t been brought up with him and he needs to answer why
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Me @ David Morgan #
“If paradise is half as nice …” , then you may do just as well to bide your time; I did and just take a look at me now my man.
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Thanks for coming totbe party. Some vague recall on the ’48 DNA extraction success in Toronto which might have been in better shape than any that may have been taken from SM post exhumation.
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Breaking news that Adelside child killer Bevan Spencer von Einanm has snuffed it. Doesn’t say if he made any deathbed admissions.
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Another South Australian with links to child abuse .. and one thought to have ‘powerful’ acquaintances..
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According to the police, they asked him about his knowledge of child murders/abuse in his last few days, he refused to answer. Shows how much influence his ‘powerful’ acquaintances still had over him. Not good news for the relatives of victims wanting answers, only good news is that he’s gone.
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You’ll have noted Peteb that Pelling in his latest non sensical Port Pirie lead offering has chosen to identify with Carl Webb rather than good old Somerton Man, wisdom of which is likely to be tested. As for Steph, she deserves a big thanks for her unseemly words, directed to moi mainly, although you don’t escape her whorish non ladylike wrath. On yer Sweetheart.
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I imagine Steve as sitting around a table of attractive young men, hoping to beguile them with his fairy stories of days never long gone by.
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In re @ Leonard Berry who left his suitcase with clobber and two photos (of himself a single man) at an Adelaide and named a “probable” match for SM by The Advertiser what say. No follow up results reported by Sapol or newspapers and no later interest shown by onliners with no initiative. All the usual search indices come up negative and there being no death records at all leaves a real chance for my Salomonson solution to come up trumps.
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Anyone up for another round of Tibor Kaldor? Too bad, it’s here Courtesy C. Gordon Cramer esq., and Anonymous subscribers to BS/TS the world over will have a field day with compliments rest assured.
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The same Leonard Berry who worked at the Yorkshire Copper Works and had Upper Artificial Teeth?
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Right you are Clive but may or maybe not material, depends on whether Leonard Berry’s identity was stolen after he died in ‘ 47, as the Salomonson bros. were known for doing in their criminal pursuits. In that case the immigration papers submitted were possibly forged which is more likely than not. Question must be therefore, who had false uppers, he or Henry Salomonson? I can find two burials in the Len Berry camp, one in Mildura, t’other in Sydney but details are insufficient to confirm or otherwise. UK records have one of the correct year of birth buried or burnt in 1947 as a war casualty. Take it further as you wish and best of British. AI is not interested, they prefer Carl Webb over all other candidates.
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He also had to have three vaccination scars, and so did Somerton Man but, once again no specifics ie., left or right, wrist or arm.
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Dusty, given your background and perseverance, a man can only put your stuff together and challenge the posers, of which all are many. You up for it?
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