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January 5, 2022 2 mins

A summer's day, 1970, and a mum and her four kids are on a beach in Australia. They're migrants, newly arrived from the UK, part of the generation of "ten-pound poms" looking for a fresh start down under.

The oldest child, Ricki, takes his little sister, Cheryl, up to the changing blocks. Cheryl is never seen again.

This is the story of what really happens to a family after a child goes missing. It's the story of Ricki's guilt and how it changed his life. And it's the story of a mystery that won't go away. Because nearly half a century after Cheryl disappeared, the case is moving again...

Fairy Meadow is presented by BBC News correspondent Jon Kay and produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Chris Ledgard.

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