Home Australia Bali Nine member Matthew Norman’s touching first act as soon as he got back to Australia – as details of his new life as a free man are revealed

Bali Nine member Matthew Norman’s touching first act as soon as he got back to Australia – as details of his new life as a free man are revealed

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Bali Nine drug dealer Matthew Norman (pictured) has made a harrowing secret pilgrimage to his mother's grave following his release from the hell of his prison.

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Bali Nine drug dealer Matthew Norman has made a harrowing secret pilgrimage to his mother’s grave following his release from prison hell.

Norman’s mother, Robyn, never got to see her son released from prison before tragically dying in January 2024, while he was still serving nearly 20 years in prison for heroin trafficking.

But after his sudden release from Bali’s notorious Kerobokan prison last month, one of the first things Norman, 38, did upon his return to Australia was visit his grave.

He has been living in a Christian family’s $4 million home in Torquay, on Great Ocean Road south of Melbourne, since his release and attending a local church.

He has also reconnected with friends and family, including his father Michael, who also moved to Australia from Bali following his son’s release.

Norman’s Indonesian wife Anita, who has joined him as he rebuilds his life in his home country, has revealed how he has tried to return to life as a free man.

“Thank you to all our lovely friends who continue to pray for this miracle,” he posted on Facebook.

‘Rejoice, happiness. He visited the grave of his mother, his father, his father and his sisters, uncles and nephews.

Bali Nine drug dealer Matthew Norman (pictured) has made a harrowing secret pilgrimage to his mother’s grave following his release from prison hell.

His Indonesian wife Anita, who has joined Matthew Norman (pictured together) as he rebuilds his life in his home country, has revealed how he has tried to return to life as a free man.

His Indonesian wife Anita, who has joined Matthew Norman (pictured together) as he rebuilds his life in his home country, has revealed how he has tried to return to life as a free man.

Norman has been living in a Christian family's $4 million home in Torquay, on Great Ocean Road south of Melbourne, since his release and attending a local church.

Norman has been living in a Christian family’s $4 million home in Torquay, on Great Ocean Road south of Melbourne, since his release and attending a local church.

Norman was photographed with Anita and her family on January 5 for the first time since being released from prison.

Questions had been raised about whether Norman would be forced to live separately from his wife and 15-year-old stepdaughter upon his release.

Anita and her daughter can travel to Australia through the normal visa application processes, but it is not yet clear whether they will be allowed to stay in the country permanently.

They were seen staying in a four-bedroom, two-storey seafront mansion in Torquay, a stone’s throw from Cozy Corner, a beach popular with families due to its calm surf.

The property is owned by Christian couple Ann and Alan Wilkins, who offered it to Norman after forming a close relationship while in prison.

The property is owned by Christian couple Ann and Alan Wilkins, who offered it to Norman after forming a close relationship while in prison.

The property is owned by Christian couple Ann and Alan Wilkins, who offered it to Norman after forming a close relationship while in prison.

Matthew Norman (left) looked happy and relieved after spending almost 20 years in prison for drug trafficking.

Matthew Norman (left) looked happy and relieved after spending almost 20 years in prison for drug trafficking.

Norman married his Indonesian girlfriend Anita (pictured) at Kerobokan Prison in 2014.

Norman married his Indonesian girlfriend Anita (pictured) at Kerobokan Prison in 2014.

Norman was sentenced to death in 2006 after being caught trying to smuggle more than 8 kilos of heroin out of Bali. The sentence was reduced to life imprisonment in 2008.

He met Anita while in prison and the couple married in Kerobokan Prison in 2014. Norman also became a father to her 15-year-old daughter Stella.

Norman was just 18 when he was arrested and is the youngest member of the Bali Nine, three of whom have died: two executed and one who died of cancer.

He left school at 16 because he wanted to work and earn money rather than finish his HSC and later said he had been “reckless, insensitive, wanting to take shortcuts in life”.

His prison sentence had a serious effect on his family at home, as one of his sisters became anorexic and another was harassed for her brother’s crime.

His parents were also the subject of vicious hate messages following their arrest and subsequent imprisonment.

Norman was one of only two members of the original Bali Nine to remain at Kerobokan until his release, where he designed t-shirts, bags and posters and petitioned for sentence reductions.

The couple, who married at Kerobokan Prison in 2014, are pictured with family and friends on Sunday.

The couple, who married at Kerobokan Prison in 2014, are pictured with family and friends on Sunday.

Matthew Norman has been spending time among the congregation in a packed church since landing in Australia, his wife revealed in her social media posts.

Matthew Norman has been spending time among the congregation in a packed church since landing in Australia, his wife revealed in her social media posts.

Anita Norman shared a photo from the airport while waiting to reunite with her husband Matthew Norman.

Anita Norman shared a photo from the airport while waiting to reunite with her husband Matthew Norman.

He admitted that each day was “just a struggle to keep doing good things” amid the “chaos” of prison.

Norman, along with Scott Rush, Michael Czugaj, Martin Stephens and Si Yi Chen were released from prison in Indonesia last month, after being imprisoned almost 20 years ago.

They were flown to Australia after the federal government reached a deal with Indonesia on a top-secret mission after weeks of negotiations.

The news came after Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese requested the transfer in a meeting with Indonesia’s new president, Prabowo Subianto, at the APEC summit in November.

President Subianto agreed to release the prisoners on humanitarian grounds.

Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen, another of the Bali Nine drug mules who had collectively attempted to smuggle 8.7kg of heroin, died of stomach cancer behind bars in 2018.

Chan and Sukumaran were executed in 2015, while Renae Lawrence was freed after serving 13 years.

On December 30, Rush appeared in Brisbane Magistrates Court to hear his fate in relation to a series of crimes committed 20 years ago..

Anita also shared multiple tourist snaps of places she had visited with Matthew since becoming a free man last month, including Circular Quay on Sydney Harbour.

Anita also shared multiple tourist snaps of places she had visited with Matthew since becoming a free man last month, including Circular Quay on Sydney Harbour.

With the support of his parents Lee and Christine, Rush faced court on historic charges prior to his 2005 arrest at Bali airport.

The now 39-year-old man pleaded guilty to charges of fraud, receiving tainted property, theft and breaking and entering, all committed when he was 19.

Police prosecutor Matthew Bach agreed with the submission and magistrate Patricia Kirkman-Scroope convicted Rush of 13 offences, but gave him no further punishment.

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