The mystery surrounding the death of a woman last seen outside a bikie clubhouse in Kalgoorlie may never be solved, with the WA coroner citing the gang culture’s “code of silence” as a major obstacle in the investigation.
Lisa Govan, 28, was last spotted near the Club Deroes clubhouse on October 8, 1999.
An inquest into her disappearance resumed in Perth on Thursday, where a key witness, Andrew Edhouse, gave evidence via video link. He was last seen entering the clubhouse with gang associate Trefor Atkinson the morning Lisa vanished.
Dressed in a blue collared shirt and glasses, Mr Edhouse repeatedly said “I don’t remember” or “I don’t recall” throughout his testimony.
“I can’t even remember what night she was there,” he said. “It would have just been another night.”
He also claimed not to recall any romantic interaction with Ms Govan, despite other witnesses stating they saw them behaving intimately.
When Counsel Assisting the Coroner, Sue Markham, asked whether he had assaulted Ms Govan, he replied “no.” She then questioned if Lisa had left the clubhouse voluntarily, to which he responded, “I don’t even recall her being there.”
Mr Edhouse, a member of Club Deroes and among the last known individuals to see Lisa alive, had been elusive during the police investigation and was previously believed to be overseas and unwilling to testify.
A prior witness had alleged that Mr Edhouse stomped on a woman’s head as she lay unconscious at the clubhouse on the night Lisa disappeared. He denied this accusation.
“That’s something I imagine I would remember, and that didn’t happen,” Edhouse said.
No role in her disappearance: Edhouse
When questioned about the so-called bikie code of silence, Mr Edhouse claimed it didn’t influence his actions during the investigation.
“I don’t speak to police. That’s just my view. It’s not about any code. I don’t make a point to talk to police who’ve wronged my family or friends,” he explained.
Coroner Michael Jenkin asked Edhouse about the repainting of the clubhouse floor and removal of carpet shortly after Lisa was last seen. Edhouse said he had seen that reported in the news but had no memory of the actual events or the reasons behind them.
In closing, Mr Edhouse told the court he had “nothing to do with Lisa’s disappearance.”
Delivering his initial findings, Coroner Jenkin admitted he would likely be unable to determine the cause of death.
“Lisa might have been murdered, overdosed at the clubhouse, been assaulted, or even died of natural causes,” he said. He acknowledged the power of the bikie code of silence and urged anyone with information to speak out before “it’s too late.”
Family won’t give up
Outside the court, Lisa’s mother, Pat, said the family would continue their search for answers.
“We’ll never get over it,” she said. “I’m not giving up on Lisa—there’s always hope that we’ll find out something, someday, somewhere.”
