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Fremantle Sailing Club renames race after DNA breakthrough names member Terry Fisher as 1979 murder suspect

The Fremantle Sailing Club is “shocked” and has renamed a race after it was revealed the event’s namesake is considered a suspect in the 1979 killing of Kerryn Tate. Police labelled Terence Fisher as an “avid sailor” who joined the club in the early 80s on Thursday, after a DNA breakthrough linked him to the location, in Karragullen bushland, where Ms Tate’s body was found on December 30, 1979. A six-race series hosted by the club named after Mr Fisher following his death from cancer in August 2000 is due to be completed in April. Fremantle Sailing Club chief executive Craig Evans said the race, named “Selden for Sailing Terry Fisher Series”, would still go ahead but under a different name. “From the club’s perspective, there’s concern concerning the naming of that race series, and there’s a sponsor involved in that particular event, so we’ll just be renaming the series under the sponsor’s name at this stage out of respect,” Mr Evans told The West Australian. “The race series is not complete, there’s one race to go.” The club removed Terry Fisher’s name from their website on Thursday afternoon, just hours after The West revealed his DNA was recovered from the scene where the body of 22-year-old Ms Tate was found. The race is now listed as the “Selden for Sailing Series” on their website. Police are probing whether he was also responsible for the unsolved murder of Barbara Western in 1986 and Kerry Turner in 1991. Mr Evans said the sailing community had been left “shocked” by the development. “It’s horrible to hear that someone who was involved in the club may have been involved in this,” he said. “My understanding is that police are still investigating, so we don’t really have any comment to make. “It’s obviously very sad that it happened in the first place, and for the family that are still probably dealing with this after nearly 50 years.” Mr Evans said some of his 3500 members were “very surprised” by the development. “Some of the members that did know Terry are very surprised to hear that, and probably in disbelief to some extent, but I don’t know too much about them and their relationships and things,” he said. “I guess, from a competitive sailing point of view, they knew him in that sphere . . . police have certainly spoken to several members from those days.” Mr Evans said while it had been hard to find exact details for investigators from the 80s, the club continued to assist police. “There have been many meetings, and certainly assisted where we can with dates and details back in the early 80s or so, for when Terry became a member of the club.” “We have just been trying to give them the information that we can pull it together, but it’s a long time ago for a club to keep details of a member back at that time. “Certainly (there has been) nothing of any sort of significance (we have been able to provide) and I don’t think we’ve been particularly enlightening for the police.” Earlier on Thursday, the club’s website described Mr Fisher as “a most sociable and keen double-handed sailor”. “Fish’s first two boats were sailed from South of Perth Yacht Club, an 18ft Red Witch and a M27 (Pac Man),” it said. It said Mr Fisher then met another keen yachtsman who “had enough in common (drinking beer and sailing boats) to form a partnership to build a Kel Steinman 31.” “Sadly, Fish passed away two months before the first race of what is now known as the Terry Fisher Double Handed Series.” Detective Senior Sergeant Dion Selby, the lead investigator, said police were working to determine Mr Fisher’s movements when he wasn’t out sailing. “What we want to know is what he did at other times, for example, what he did on the other three or four nights a week when his time wasn’t accounted for.” Police narrowed down a DNA profile from an unknown man, before it was linked to Mr Fisher, using the forensic technique called investigative genetic genealogy, which matches DNA to data on public ancestry websites. Investigators narrowed him down from 10,000 DNA profiles dating back as far as the 1700s. The breakthrough has pushed police to call on the public for information about Mr Fisher’s routine. Mr Fisher worked with the Public Work Department as a carpenter on the construction of government buildings in Perth and regional areas, before taking a voluntary redundancy in 1993 and starting his own business. Anyone with information can visit a mobile police facility in Karragullen, on Brookton Highway, on Friday or call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

exclusiveFremantle Sailing Club renames race after DNA breakthrough names member Terry Fisher as 1979 murder suspect

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Fremantle Sailing Club renames race after DNA breakthrough names member Terry Fisher as 1979 murder suspect