Statement in Honour of a Truly Remarkable Lady
I affectionately refer to her as Ronda.
Ronda's unwavering and compassionate support for the Casualties of Telstra (COT) began in August 1994 and continued until July 2021. This was a period marked by the relentless cruelty of arthritis, a disease that not only confined her to a wheelchair but also stripped away her ability to provide hands-on assistance to fellow COT members and me.
Despite the physical limitations imposed upon her, Ronda's intellect and determination remained unshaken. She entrusted her powerful message to her two daughters, Jenny and Jill, ensuring that her spirit and commitment would continue to drive us forward, even after her passing to a land free of suffering.
Ronda was born on March 24, 1943, and her brilliant light shone brightly in the world until her passing on December 9, 2025. Her support was truly priceless, a gift that transcended the hardships she faced and left an indelible mark on all who had the privilege to know her.
To anyone who reads this tribute, whether through my website, absentjustice.com, or my manuscript, The Arbitraitor, I want to take a moment to celebrate an extraordinary woman who has shown immense strength in the face of adversity. I’ve intentionally chosen to provide only Ronda’s Christian name. After exploring "The Arbitrator" and the compelling accounts on absentjustice.com, it will be clear who she is. I believe this approach respects her privacy while still acknowledging her identity.
When I first became ensnared in the complex arbitration process—one that purported to offer justice yet ensured that the telecommunications giant was shielded from accountability for its pervasive telephone faults—I was already on a downward spiral into financial despair. In a desperate bid to maintain some semblance of stability, I liquidated nearly all my possessions and took on a burdensome mortgage for my cherished Cape Bridgewater Holiday Camp, a place filled with memories and hope. As one of the original four Australian citizens (The COT Cases) who naively entered this supposed bastion of transparency, I quickly discovered that fairness was a mere façade, artfully manipulated by an arbitrator and an administrator indifferent to the principles of true justice. This betrayal unfolds in detail for all to see.
In the depths of my financial devastation, I resorted to extreme measures, selling off the wooden pews from my historic 1870 Presbyterian church and my 22-seater bus as I sought to outrun the relentless pursuit of the sheriff. In a moment of desperation and defiance, I confronted the sheriff in my office, employing a Full Nelson wrestling hold to bodily eject him and his two henchmen when they insisted on seizing the essential industrial kitchen equipment pivotal for the schools and social clubs that supported my business. This dramatic act of rebellion led me to the Portland Magistrates’ Court, where I faced charges of assault, my struggle sensationalised on the front page of the Portland Observer, casting me as both villain and victim.
Throughout these harrowing times, government Hansard recorded the uphill battle we, the COT Cases, faced against a coalition of thirty-seven elite law firms. According to a March 1999 Australian Senate report, Telstra had strategically ensnared these firms in its web, creating an almost insurmountable barrier that made it exceedingly difficult for the COT Cases to substantiate their claims of ongoing phone issues. The fight felt daunting, but the hope for justice burned within us, igniting our resolve to keep pressing forward.
Ultimately, my submission was compiled by two former Queensland Senior Sergeant Detectives, along with the technical expertise of the esteemed George Close and the appointed DMR Corporate Forensic Accountants. The cost of their services, including professional fees alone, exceeded $300,000, intensifying my sense of hopelessness. This figure did not account for the wages I had to cover for extra staff during the challenging 13-month arbitration battle—a relentless fight to keep my claim alive in a system seemingly designed to crush the dreams of the innocent.
Help seemed scarce until a serendipitous moment led me to a unique listing in the Yellow Pages for addresses of secretarial services. There, I discovered an extraordinary woman who chose to stand by my side for three decades, recognising the significance of my cause.
Despite my limited resources and the financial struggles that persisted before and long after the arbitration, the arbitrator's ruling awarded me less than my professional costs. This remarkable woman stood by me unwaveringly, knowing I was at rock bottom.
Despite the relentless challenges posed by arthritis and its painful side effects—eventually necessitating her use of a wheelchair—she never allowed her circumstances to dim her spirit. With remarkable courage, she dedicated herself to uplifting those in need, particularly women in crisis who often felt voiceless in a society that overlooked their struggles. Her extraordinary character shone through in her compassion and empathy as she harnessed her exceptional writing abilities to help these women articulate their stories, illuminating their struggles and triumphs with profound sensitivity and grace.
Her presence enriched my life in ways that are hard to quantify, as she infused our shared work with her fervour and sharp insights. The impact of her influence will forever echo in the projects we brought to life together. This remarkable woman, whose selflessness and dedication transcended our collaboration to embrace the broader mission of uplifting others, will always be remembered for her relentless compassion and the indelible mark she left on everyone fortunate enough to know her.
Her story, intertwined with our collective journey through the fellow COT cases, resonates ominously, echoing into the depths of history. I had the unsettling opportunity to present compelling evidence of our claims to three former prime ministers and influential political figures, including the Honourable David Hawker MP, Speaker of the House of Representatives. It came to my attention later that Mr Hawker took it upon himself to deliver a copy of the Arbitrator to the Honourable Senator Helen Coonan in February 2006. This action was tied to Senator Barnaby Joyce’s urgent call for an independent assessment of my long-neglected arbitration claims and those of thirteen others.
It was Ronda, this formidable woman, who unearthed a chilling and deeply sinister truth: when I submitted my original 1994 arbitration claim during the government's 2006 arbitration review process, it was not merely overlooked; it was willfully buried in the shadows of bureaucratic negligence. In July 2008, she sent me a shocking email, revealing that crucial information from my 2006 claim had never even been opened during the so-called review process.
This fearless woman boldly uncovered a deeply corrupt system engineered to hide injustice, revealing a disturbing truth: documents that Ronda emailed on my behalf were notoriously left untouched for an astonishing 18 months following the start of the government review. In a shocking turn of events, these vital emailed documents were subsequently deleted from Senator Helen Coonan's office without ever being reviewed. This clearly demonstrates a deliberate attempt to suppress the truth and shield those in power.
I must emphasise that the electronic evidence she provided stands as undeniable proof of the corrupt acts that have insidiously eroded the integrity of the materials intended for scrutiny by the Senator's office during this review process. Tragically, the truth is far more malevolent. A dark conspiracy lurks within Senator Helen Coonan's office concerning Ronda's 2006 submission on my behalf, exposing the grotesque depths of this corruption. For a more chilling exploration of this matter, I urge you to refer to “The eighth remedy pursued.”
It is appalling that crucial information, which was promised an assessment, was heartlessly disregarded. The $16,000 I spent gathering this evidence became utterly worthless when it was callously deleted fifteen months after submission, hollowing out the assessment process and betraying the very citizens it was designed to protect. The government, deep in its own corruption, chose to ignore a truth so undeniable that it threatened to expose its darkest dealings, all at a high human cost.
On January 12, 2026, I stood at her memorial service, representing a woman whose impact was not just profound but also deeply unsettling in its implications. Many in attendance knew well of my story and the grave justice issues this indomitable lady bravely championed, particularly her fierce advocacy for women silenced by a system insidiously designed to oppress them. I spoke, keenly aware of her moral strength, unwavering integrity, and relentless pursuit of justice—qualities that flickered like a beacon amid a world steeped in corruption and moral decay.
That day, her two daughters, Jenny and Jill, entrusted me with five storage boxes filled with years of documentation from their mother’s relentless fight not just for me, but for some of the other COT Cases who were wronged during and after their government-endorsed arbitration and mediation processes. I took these boxes and the computer Ronda had used on our cases back to Ballarat, Victoria, after the emotionally charged memorial service.
Within these boxes was the very computer their mother had used faithfully until July 2021, when illness finally curtailed her dedicated mission to expose the flagrant injustices faced by the COT Cases. As I opened the Lenovo ThinkPad on the afternoon of January 13, 2026—a device that held decades of our shared struggles—I found a computer-typed note tucked inside the cover, a symbol of her unwavering commitment to justice in a system designed to betray the COT Cases.
It was addressed to me by this beautiful lady, knowing that when this short note was read, I would know it was truly a voice from heaven:
"Hello Alan,
I have tried to keep duplicates of your work on this laptop, as well as on a USB but, in July 2021, this became too difficult for me for various reasons, most to do with my failing health and the limits I now struggle with in relation to moving around. I hope that the work that's backed up until now is useful. If you 're still fighting for justice when my daughters send this back to you.
On one level, Alan, it's been a pleasure to be able to do my little bit to help you with your huge fight for justice but it's also very sad that your fight has gone on for so long: I so hope you get there in the end!
Best wishes
Ronda"
"The Arbitraitor" emerges from a book Ronda wrote about my case during and after my arbitration, which I shared with Australia’s 76 Senators to celebrate the remarkable legacy she was to later leave behind
On 27 January 1999, after having also read The Arbitrator, Senator Kim Carr wrote:
“I continue to maintain a strong interest in your case along with those of your fellow ‘Casualties of Telstra’. The appalling manner in which you have been treated by Telstra is in itself reason to pursue the issues, but also confirms my strongly held belief in the need for Telstra to remain firmly in public ownership and subject to public and parliamentary scrutiny and accountability.
“Your manuscript demonstrates quite clearly how Telstra has been prepared to infringe upon the civil liberties of Australian citizens in a manner that is most disturbing and unacceptable.”