E-Story: On Father's Day (True Crime) by Megan Norris

Kindle:  On Father's Day (2013) is a heartbreaking account of Love and Loss.

When newly separated mum, Cindy Gambino, dropped her boys, Jai, 10, Tyler, 7, and Bailey, 2, off to spend Father's Day 2005 with her estranged husband, she had no idea she would never see them alive again.

Now, the 'triple dam drowning mum', who was the true target of Robert Farquharson's festering rage, relives the unspeakable revenge which shocked Australia, and left her with the legacy of life-long suffering - her punishment for ending their marriage.

"...When fathers deliberately kill their children, it is often because they are angry with their former partners for leaving the relationship.  The father may appear to love his children and may not have been violent toward them...The act of killing them appears to be directed against the mother as the ultimate form of punishment."  

"In researching cases where fathers kill their children after separating from their partners, I have come to understand their behaviour as part of the broader social problem of violence against women...There is a widespread perception that fathers are driven to act violently because the Family Law process too often deprives them of access, causing them enormous distress."  

"But in many instances, fathers have actually killed their children during access visits...Cindy Gambino's story is important because we understand so little about these cases..."

"This book provides vital information for those who deal with family separation and violence - police, lawyers, judges, mental health workers, mediators, family violence support workers and those who conduct men's behaviour change programs...Indeed, the whole community can benefit from reading this book."

(italics - excerpt from the Foreword) Dr Deborah Kirkwood, Researcher, Domestic Violence Resource Centre of Victoria and Adjunct Research Fellow, Monash University.

If you are a victim of domestic violence or you know someone who is, we urge you to speak up.

Support is available for anyone who may be distressed by calling (Australia) Lifeline on 131 114, Mensline on 1300 789 978, Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800 or SANE Australia on 1800 18 SANE (7263) (Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm).

In emergency situations or immediate danger, call Police on 000.

For confidential help and referral in Australia, call the National Sexual Assault, Family and Domestic Violence Counselling Line on 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).

Children/young people needing help should call Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800.

Dr Ann O'Neill's organisation, Angelhands, provides support and assistance to those who have been affected by homicide or serious violence.  Phone 08 9272 2242.

About the author:  Megan Norris is a UK-trained journalist who has spent the past thirty years specialising in court reporting.  The author of three books, two of them true crime, Megan first met Cindy Gambino in 2007, when she secured and wrote Cindy's story for a national Australian women's magazine.  For the past six years, Megan has continued to report on Cindy's heartbreaking journey, both in the courts and behind the scenes, and to see at first hand the lifelong suffering inflicted upon her by her ex-husband's revenge crime.  A former winner of the EVA awards for best Australian magazine feature tackling violence against women, Megan has a special interest in women and children as victims of crime.  She lives in Melbourne with her husband and their two sons.