Lynette Dawson's family have lived a trauma for 40 years. The journey isn't over.

Last week, Lynette Dawson's killer - her husband Chris Dawson - was found guilty of her murder. 

NSW Supreme Court Justice Ian Harrison found Dawson guilty, after considering witness testimonies and submissions in Dawson's two-month-long trial.

In a marathon ruling that spanned five hours, Justice Harrison said he was satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that Dawson had killed his first wife, when she 'disappeared' from the couple's Bayview home in Sydney in January 1982. 

After the verdict was read out, Dawson was taken into custody. For Lynette's family, there was a sigh of relief. That finally, after 40 years, they had secured justice. But it was an incredibly difficult and emotional journey.

Her brother, Greg Simms, called for Dawson to "find it in himself" to tell them where her body is.

"The journey is not complete," he said outside of court. "She's still missing. We still need to bring her home. We would ask Chris also to find it in himself - to allow us to bring her home for a peaceful rest. Finally, showing [her the] dignity she deserves."

A week after the verdict, Lynette's siblings Greg and Pat, along with additional loved ones of Lynette, have spoken to ABC's Australian Story.

Reflecting on that final day in court, Greg said: "We didn't get much sleep, it's hard to try and process the verdict. I think having a murder verdict brings a conclusion to one part of the story but it's extremely hard."

Watch Greg Simms speak out the front of court after the verdict. Post continues below.

On Australian Story on Monday night, Lynette's sister Pat shared that their mother Helena had never stopped looking and hoping to find Lynette. 

"I can never forgive Chris for the way he treated Lyn, but also for the cruel and callous way he treated our distressed and grieving mother," Pat said.

"Mum never stopped searching for Lyn. She didn't drive, so she'd take the train up to the Central Coast because that's where Chris had said that Lyn had rung from."

It was a tortuous state of mind that Dawson created for Lynette's loved ones - because Dawson had always claimed Lynette had left and disappeared of her own accord. 

"If you have someone missing, of course it's always there. It's just like walking down the street and seeing the back of a person and you're thinking 'that's Lyn,' and you walk up to the person and it might look like her from the back, but it's not her at the front," Greg shared.

Lynette's mother Helena passed away in 2001. She never saw her daughter again.

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In the interview, Greg and his wife Merilyn said they like to visit Clovelly Beach often - the place where Greg has so many fond childhood memories with Lynette. 100 metres away from the Simms family home where the four siblings - Lynette, Greg, Pat and Phil - grew up in Clovelly, is a memorial park bench.

In lieu of a grave and a body, Lynette's surviving family see this bench as their major memorial site for her. 

On the bench's plaque, it reads: "In loving memory: Helena & Len Simms. Their beloved daughter Lyn: missing 1982 aged 33. Forever missed." It's a tribute to both Lynette and her parents - both of whom passed away without ever knowing what had happened to their daughter. 

"Clovelly is part of the Simms family, it's in our blood," Greg said. "So we wanted to come here to put these flowers on the memorial seat, to pay our respects to my sister. And to say we've done it, we got it.

"When we went to buy the flowers this morning, the florist was in tears and she was telling us about her network of friends who followed this story all these years. It's just huge."

If Lynette's body is ever recovered, Greg said his family would like to scatter her ashes across Clovelly Beach - just like Helena and Len.

Lynette's family visiting a memorial park bench in Clovelly, Sydney. Image: Australian Story.

In the beginning of the relationship, Lynette's family didn't have any serious concerns about Chris Dawson.

The pair had met while in high school, both prefects in their final year. According to Pat, they were both good-looking, dressed beautifully and didn't smoke or drink.

But as Pat said to Australian Story, by 1981 - one year before Lynette's disappearance and murder - "we were aware that things didn't seem to be quite right". 

"I just thought, 'Oh, it's a bit of a rough patch', and things would sort themselves out. None of us knew how bad things were. I think Lyn covered up many of the problems. I think she had this image that, you know, wonderful children, a happy family. And I just think that she just couldn't face the fact that perhaps this image wasn't the real thing."

The night before Lynette disappeared, her mother Helena called the Dawson residence to speak to her daughter. It was around 8:30pm.

According to Lynette's siblings, Dawson answered the phone and told Helena everything was fine and they had been to a marriage counsellor. When Helena asked to speak to Lynette, he put her on the phone. Helena said to her daughter: 'You sound a bit sozzled'. 

"She [Lynette] said to mum, 'My husband's poured me a lovely drink' and everything is just going to be fine. And she said it with a slurred voice," Greg recounted. 

It worried the family, considering neither Lynette nor Dawson were drinkers. 

The next day, Helena was supposed to meet her daughter at Northbridge Baths in Sydney. Lynette never showed up. When Dawson told Helena that Lynette had left to "sort some things out", Helena was left heartbroken and confused.

"Well, Mum was absolutely devastated and shocked. I mean, she'd spoken to Lyn just the evening before. I think the shock was that Lyn had left at all, because it was just so unexpected, so out of character. Lyn, who just loved her children, loved her whole family," Pat said.

It would be 40 years until they received the truth. 

Lynette's brother Greg, and sister Pat. Image: Australian Story.

Although Lynette's family finally have answers given last week's guilty verdict, it doesn't mean their pain and grief has subsided in the slightest. 

They still don't have a body, nor do they suspect they ever will. And Lynette never had to chance to live out a full and happy life with her family and two daughters. 

"Our whole family has lived with this trauma for 40 years," Pat said. "It's very difficult to put into words the depth of grief you feel when a loved member of the family just drops out of your life."

Not to mention just how traumatic the whole court process was. 

For Pat, she said she was badly affected by the trial - particularly the way the questions were asked by the defence barrister. For Greg too and his wife Merrilyn, it was an overwhelming experience. 

"It was brutal in respect of all this information coming out and trying to take it all in. It was quite emotional. I think we're all in a bit of shock. It was really hard right to the very end to know which way it was going to go."

Now, Lynette's family hope that Dawson will tell police where Lynette's body is.

"Lyn was a loving, caring person. Loved life, loved the children. Just full of life, just full of life. It's tragic."

You can watch the full Australian Story interview on ABC iview.

If this has raised any issues for you, or if you just feel like you need to speak to someone, please call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) – the national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service.

Feature Image: Australian Story/Supplied.

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