'Mirror Balls, Mayhem and Murder' with Duncan McNab

The NSW Special Commission into LGBTIQ hate crimes is a world first and its report was released just days before Christmas 2023. It was appropriately critical of NSW Police and contains 19 recommendations which should have a massive impact on the handling of cold case murders in NSW. But in the background is another cold case murder, and one that was initially bungled (like so many) but later prompted competent police to think they may have an epidemic of gay hate crimes on their hands.

That case is the 1990 death of Roger Claude Teyssedre who, with Dawn O’Donnell, built an empire of gay bars, hotels, sex on premises venues, etc. along the streets of Sydney throughout the 1970s and 1980’s. Teyssedre's mysterious demise triggered a cascade of events, as his substantial inheritance was intended to be split among his numerous lovers. Shockingly, the recent death of millionaire Ludwig Gertsch, Teyssedre’s last lover before his death, is believed to have been murdered and his death has cast a dark shadow over the tangled web of inheritance, as Gertsch inherited a significant portion from Teyssedre. The circumstances surrounding both deaths raise unsettling questions, creating a web of intrigue and suspicion that investigators are tirelessly working to unravel.

What was originally thought a hate crime turned out to be more traditional - murders for love, lust and lucre. No one has been arrested and it remains a cold case. 

Join Brandon and Duncan for an update on the Special Commission then a dive into gay Sydney in the 1990s - mirror balls, mayhem and murder.

Tickets are $25 and include a cocktail on arrival.