The Disappearance of Yvonne Kaye Waters & Raelene May Eaton

On an autumn day in 1974, the quiet life of two Perth families changed irrevocably. Yvonne Kaye Waters and Raelene May Eaton, cousins not just by blood but by the deep friendship they shared, set out to enjoy a Sunday together. Little did anyone know, it would be the last day they were seen.

Yvonne, a 17-year-old working at a concrete moulding business, lived with her parents in Maylands. Her cousin Raelene, also 17, was balancing a job at a plumbing business with night school studies in dressmaking and shorthand typing. She lived with her parents in Bayswater. On the 7th of April, their plan was simple and carefree: join a friend at the Oxford Hotel in Leederville to enjoy a live band.

The day began with Raelene’s father driving her to Yvonne’s place. From there, the girls caught a train to Perth and then a bus to Leederville. Their time at the Oxford Hotel was brief; soon, the vibrant energy of another location, the White Sands Tavern in Scarborough, beckoned.

Arriving around 4:30 PM, Yvonne and Raelene found themselves at a table with five men, described as older and scruffier than themselves. As the venue buzzed around them and the band Fatty Lumpkin played, the atmosphere of the tavern was electric. Two men eventually left, leaving the cousins in the company of three.

The evening edged towards its close, and at around 6:45 PM, the tavern emptied. Outside, the cousins were seen chatting amiably with the three men. A witness's last glance captured them outside the tavern—after that, the group vanished into the night.

The immediate aftermath of their disappearance saw little urgency in the search efforts; the initial belief was that Yvonne and Raelene might have simply run off. But days turned into weeks with no word from either girl. Their families began to fear the worst, grappling with the stark, unsettling silence that followed.

Tragedy struck again a week later. A car accident involving Yvonne’s boyfriend and Raelene’s brother added a bitter layer to the unfolding drama—Raelene's brother succumbed to his injuries two weeks later.

Years rolled on with detectives chasing shadows. Leads and theories emerged and faded with the same rapidity, including a mysterious white panel van thought to be linked to their last known location. Yet, every effort to unearth the truth behind Yvonne and Raelene’s disappearance seemed to dissolve into the vast Australian landscape.

Decades have passed, and the mystery of what happened to the "Gone Girls" of Perth persists, etched into the community's memory and the hearts of their families. The pages of newspapers yellowed with age, and online forums speculate endlessly, but the poignant echo of their absence remains. In Perth and beyond, the story of Yvonne and Raelene is recounted with a mixture of sadness and disbelief—a haunting reminder of a joyful Sunday that ended in an enduring mystery.