The Australian continues to cover the ongoing investigation into 70-year-old Paddy Moriarty’s disappearance from Larrimah in the Northern Territory—population: 12. Kylie Stevenson and Caroline Graham’s reporting uncovered new leads and advanced police enquiries. They conducted more than 30 interviews, recorded 40-plus hours of tape and reviewed thousands of pages of documents. But this captivating podcast was not just an investigation, it was a deep, earnest dive into Larrimah’s history. A sincere tribute, not just to a person who disappeared, but also to a disappearing town and the way of life it represents.
Kylie Stevenson’s 18 years’ experience as a newspaper and magazine journalist includes roles at The Proserpine Guardian, Mackay’s The Daily Mercury and the NT News. She now is a producer for ABC Radio Darwin and a freelance writer.
Caroline Graham has worked as a newspaper reporter and freelance writer and is now a lecturer in journalism and creative writing at Bond University.
Eric George is a multiple Walkley Award-winning journalist and multimedia editor at The Australian, where he launched the paper’s push into podcasts.
Judges’ comments:
“Lost in Larrimah is a complex, textured and engaging series that’s brimming with character. We were very impressed with the writing of this series (even the brief language warnings opening each episode are humorously written). With a population of only 12, the town and the story present almost like the cast of a play, and this is used artfully to question not just the story of Paddy Moriarty’s disappearance, but also its effect on such an isolated community. In its reporting and execution, the series demonstrates a high level of originality.”