The Block’s Jolene’s shocking connection to one of Australia’s most haunting unsolved murder mysteries

Long before Jolene arrived at The Block and became one of the season’s most talked-about contestants, she was sharing her family’s story in a heartbreaking documentary about one of Australia’s most enduring unsolved mysteries.

Revealed: The Cape, a Stan Original released in 2023, investigated the disappearance of fisherman Bevin Simmonds and his 10-year-old son Brad, who vanished at sea in Cape York, Far North Queensland, in June 2003 while clearing shark nets 5km offshore. Despite extensive searches, neither their bodies nor their dinghy were ever found.

What could have been an idyllic day on the water soon became something far darker, with police alleging the pair simply hadn’t just gone missing at sea, but had in fact been murdered.

At the centre of the case was a bitter rivalry between two major fishing families; the Wards and the Gaters. Cathy, Bevin’s wife, was born a Ward and was having an affair with Michael Gater. On 13 December, 2003, Michael and his mother Joan Gater, the matriarch of the family, were ultimately charged with the murders of Bevin and Brad.

Jolene, whose mother Janelle is Bevin’s sister, making the Block contestant his niece, appears in the documentary, giving an insight into what her uncle was really like before he vanished and sharing what she thinks happened.

“He was a very motivated person,” Jolene says in the documentary. “He wanted a home for his kids. He wanted to set his kids up. If Bevin was sitting here having a conversation with you, there is no doubt in my mind that there would be a kid hanging here… one sitting here. They wanted to be in his presence all the time. He was just very loving, especially towards her [Cathy].

“I think Cathy knows a lot more than what she has told us.”

The documentary offers a glimpse into the wild west (in this case North) of Australia, where you must hunt or be hunted, a good fishing run can make you $180,000 in four weeks, everyone has guns, depending on whose cooking turtle bolognese can be on the menu, and betraying a fisherman’s handshake could cost you your life.

According to the theory explored in the documentary, Joan Gater was motivated by the possibility of losing her son’s focus on the family dynasty to Cathy and wanted the two powerful fishing families to join forces. With Michael and Cathy continuing their affair, the theory was that Bevin’s death would remove the husband from the equation, while the union between the two families could strengthen their respective fishing empires.

“I never seen that woman [Cathy] shed a tear. Never!” Jolene says in the documentary. “And I don’t think that’s normal. She stopped all engagements with us. Why would someone do that? You rally around your family, you pull them in closer, you share stories to get to the bottom of something. She didn’t. She just distanced. She distanced the kids. And thats the way she kept it.”

Michael spent two years in jail awaiting trial, while Joan was released on bail. The trial began in the Cairns Supreme Court on October 10, 2005.

“I sat in the courtroom with my mum and my grandma every day,” Jolene says. “Bevin could be tough, but he was not the monster that he was made out to be. It was almost like it was justified, what happened to him. The jury came out; there was very little eye contact. There was a lot of the Gater family present in the court room which at the time was quite intimidating.”

The prosecution case was entirely circumstantial, with no bodies, murder weapon or dinghy recovered. So on October 28, 2005, Joan and Michael Gater were acquitted of the murders.

“I still remember the look on Michael’s face when the verdict was read,” Jolene recalls. “He turned around and he had this shocked look on his face like, ‘Oh!’ as he turned around and then faced back – and that was pretty much it. I remember being so angry. They sort of come over to interview us, but they were just so hell-bent on Michael’s story. Michael and Joan they’ve just been acquitted of murder! And I just think Bevin and Brad were really forgotten in that moment.”

Jolene also gives a sombre insight into how the case affected her family long after the trial.

“Our family unit definitely fell apart after that. I don’t even speak to any of my other cousins because of this.”

More than two decades later, Bevin and Brad’s disappearance remains unsolved, leaving Jolene and her family with the same haunting questions that have followed them for years.

“Did they feel fear? Did they feel scared? Did they feel peace?” Jolene says through tears. “We’ll never know that last moment.”

So, after more than two decades, the questions surrounding that fateful day at sea remain. Did the Gater family get away with murder? Did Cathy know more about what happened to her husband and son than she ever revealed? And was Brad, who those close to the family believe may have been killed as collateral damage after his presence on the boat went unnoticed, simply in the wrong place at the wrong time?

Now, as Jolene finds herself in the spotlight once again on The Block, could her story bring fresh attention to a case that has haunted her family for 23 years and, perhaps, help finally uncover the truth?

If you have any information on the disappearance of Bevin and Brad Simmonds, call Crime Stoppers immediately on 1800 333 000.