Anne Bowie, a former wife of John Bowie, provided the testimony to the court yesterday, also saying he had once told her his first wife had run off with another man.

She was one of six people to give evidence on the second day of an inquest into the disappearance of Roxlyn Bowie at Walgett in 1982.

The mother of two young children was last seen at the family's Euroka Street home on June 5 of that year. On the opening day of the inquest the court had heard Roxlyn was a "devoted mother" and that Mr Bowie was at the time described as a "womaniser" and later admitted to giving her a "backhand" on several occasions.

Appearing via audio-visual link yesterday, parts of Anne's testimony brought some members of Roxlyn's family to tears. Mr Bowie was present in the court.

Anne, a nurse, met and began a relationship with Mr Bowie, an ambulance officer in Sydney within two months of the disappearance of Roxlyn. They married in 1984, but later separated, and divorced in 2008. Yesterday when questioned by counsel assisting the coroner Sergeant Paul Bush, she said "it wasn't a good relationship".

She said Mr Bowie had affairs with other women and there was "violence in the relationship".

Anne told the court the disappearance of Roxlyn wasn't often discussed.

"(John) would avoid the subject or get angry," she said.

She also recalled "at one point he told me Roxlyn had run of with the bank manager".

When asked by counsel assisting if he had ever said who the bank manager was or anything else, Anne said no. Anne was also questioned about the presence of a blue suitcase, two watches, engagement ring, other jewellery and other items at the unit they shared.

The witness was directed to a statement she had made to police in 1988, and she told the court Mr Bowie did have three rifles.

"He had one when we were purchasing our home at St Clair but my mum took out the part that makes it shoot," Anne said.

Counsel assisting asked Anne if she knew Mr Bowie had been in the army and if he had talked about his service.

She said he had talked about being in Vietnam, that he had several wives there and that he had killed two young boys there when they had tried to steal from him. When asked if the violence in their marriage had been isolated incidents, she said it "went on and on".

'I'm not sorry (the relationship) is over," she said.

"I don't have to worry about being belted up."

The inquest continues.