VORA: I was almost a Netflix star in Paddy Moriarty mystery

Voice of Real Australia is a regular newsletter from ACM, which has more than 100 mastheads across Australia. Today's is written by ACM national agriculture writer Chris McLennan.

I was very nearly a Netflix star.

Aged in my 60's with a face even my loving wife says wouldn't cause Brad Pitt any concern, it was really that close, my shot at stardom.

Instead I have ended up on the cutting room floor.

Imagine my excitement when I flicked to the Netflix streaming service on the weekend to check out the "new releases" and saw "Last Stop Larrimah" on the list.

It couldn't be, I thought.

I had shot my scenes for a Los Angeles-based documentary maker way back in 2019.

We had corresponded for a while, but then I heard nothing, I thought too much time has passed and the project has been shelved.

But there is was, yep it was the same bloke.

Thomas Tancred who had cornered me in my office with his film crew one afternoon, shooting hours of film with two cameras shooting at once. Looked forward to catch myself in profile.

He was the latest to want a piece of the Paddy Moriarty mystery, and I was happy to oblige.

Well not me, to be honest. but the other folk in the office thought it would be a hoot.

After all one of the chief suspects in Mr Moriarty's murder had denied her involvement to me directly, several times.

The film-makers wanted to know all about that.

Paddy was a knockabout resident from the town of Larrimah, population 11 - or 10 when Paddy went missing back in December 16, 2017.

Larrimah is a tiny town which is only remarkable because there are very few towns at all along the Stuart Highway in outback Northern Territory.

I was stationed at Katherine, about two hours drive to the north-west of Larrimah, during a five-year stint as Editor of the local paper.

Mr Moriarty, aged 70, was last seen at the Larrimah Hotel at 6pm on Saturday, December 16.

Despite an extensive search of the town and surrounds, nothing has been seen of him, and his loyal kelpie dog Kellie, ever since.

It was big news for the local paper, and pretty much all the media in the NT at the time.

Over Christmas not much generally happens other than a cyclone threat or two.

At various stages, every resident of Larrimah was a suspect in his disappearance and we clearly saw their hatred for one another during several inquests held in Katherine in later years.

Police don't know where Paddy is but both they, and the NT's coroner, reckon he's met with foul play.

The Larrimah mystery has now become a global industry.

The story has travelled all over the world.

So when Thomas Tancred came calling with his idea of a documentary it didn't surprise me.

There have been hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles written about Paddy, award-winning podcasts, other television series and now a film.

"There are so many strands to the story," Mr Tancred told me at the time.

"I think there will be a lot of interest in the US, as much as there has been in Australia."

He flew into Darwin from the US and motored to Katherine to interview people about the Moriarty disappearance, including the local Editor.

A key to my involvement was a person thought to be possibly involved in Paddy's demise was colourful Larrimah baker Fran Hodgetts.

Fran dropped into the Katherine Times' office several times to see me and protest her innocence.

We even published a letter from Fran where she called out the cops for botching the search. I still have it.

Mr Tancred wanted to hear what she had said from me, in case Fran refused to appear on air herself, which she eventually did in her very capable if somewhat profane manner.

As I said, that was years ago and even the NT, not the fastest paced of places, had well and truly moved on.

After all, people often go missing in the Territory without explanation.

Paddy was not the first and he won't be the last.

There's a lot of land up there and very few people living there.

Lots of scrub, desert and crocodile-infested rivers to hide a body.

An elderly yet fit Queensland man vanished at a popular rock pool called Edith Falls just outside Katherine on my watch in 2018.

No trace of Alex Rosenberg has ever been found, he just vanished.

Nitmiluk is a rugged area to be sure but Edith's walking trails are well travelled and he was incredibly well prepared.

Some folk might remember Peter Falconio.

He was a British tourist who famously disappeared near Barrow Creek in 2001 while travelling the Stuart with Joanne Lees.

His murderer is behind bars in Darwin but Mr Falconio's remains have never been found.

That's the thing about the NT - it is enormous and empty.

You can fit France inside its borders - twice - and yet only 250,000 people live here.

Of course someone knows what happened to Paddy and all the rest of the lost.

Individually the people of Larrimah come across as the salt of the earth types could would expect in a small bush community.

But together, they are toxic.

I said as much on the documentary which didn't make the cut.

Oh well, Fran is much better value than I.

I suggest you check it out, if only to better understand more about life in the Territory.

Pay close attention to the credits at the end of each of the two episodes where it says "thanks to...".

I watched it a few times, paused it and took a photo of my name to share with my kids.

And as for Brad Pitt? I am sure there will be a next time Mr Pitt.

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