Estelle Blackburn investigated the life and crimes of Eric Edgar Cooke in Broken Lives (1998). Her work revealed new evidence that resulted in the exoneration of two men, John Button and Darryl Beamish. She was awarded a Walkley award in 2001 for her investigation.
In 2007 Blackburn published The End of Innocence about her experiences investigating and writing Broken Lives. A mini series written by Luke Clayson and based on Blackburn's experiences was due to go into production in 2012.
Estelle Blackburn moved to Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, at the end of the first decade of 2000. She worked in the public service.
Source: Megan Doherty, 'Winning Over the West', The Canberra Times (27 December 2011): 6
