GONE BUT NEVER FORGOTTEN
Hope lingers for loved ones
THIS week marks four years since Rodney Martini went missing from his home at a low care facility in Queenscliff.
Despite an exhaustive search of the coastal town and surrounding areas, Mr Martini — who suffered a medical condition — has not been seen. He would now be 64.
The anniversary of his disappearance coincides with National Missing Persons Week, an Australian Federal Police and National Missing Persons Co-ordination Centre campaign now in its 29th year.
There were 11,355 missing person reports made across Victoria in 2016.
Of those, 99.8 per cent were “closed” by the end of the year, with the missing person either safely found or — in the worstcase scenario — their body recovered.
But not everyone is found, and friends and family members can be forced to carry on without any answers, always wondering, always hoping they could see their loved ones again.
It has been more than 28 years since NSW man Gregory Joseph Delaney left his parents’ Geelong home on Wednesday, July 12, 1989, in an “agitated state”. July 12, 1989 Geelong 1968
Mr Delaney, who would now be 49, had only a small amount of cash, an ATM card and his driver’s licence. He never contacted friends or family again.
Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Stephen Fontana said unsolved missing person cases left family and friends with a lifetime of unanswered questions.
“Regardless of age, when a loved one, family member or friend disappears without explanation, it causes significant heartache for the families involved,” Mr Fontana said.
He said it was “never too late” to come forward with information, no matter how 49 Sept 22, 2006 Werribee 1970 47 much time may have passed.
“While the majority of missing people are found within a short period, some are not,” he said.
“We hope that by highlighting cases through campaigns like National Missing Persons Week we can jog the memories of people who may have vital information, offering closure to families.”
Australia’s long-term missing people are compiled online on the National Missing Persons Co-ordination Centre database at missingpersons. gov.au, including several from Geelong and surrounding areas.
Werribee man Russell Jen- August 1, 2013 Queenscliff 1952 64 April 14, 2014 Lara 1969 48 kin was last seen leaving his home in September 2006 — his new silver Toyota Yaris was discovered at the Lara football ground the next day.
Mr Jenkin, who would now be 47, was last seen wearing blue/grey tracksuit pants, a grey polo shirt with a Toyota logo, a red polar fleece windcheater and work boots.
Lara man Murray McMillan disappeared in suspicious circumstances after leaving for a camping trip at a friend’s cabin northwest of Ballarat on April 14, 2014.
The Moonambel hut where he was believed to intended to stay was found burned down, and police discovered Mr March 7, 2005 Geelong 1955 62 McMillan’s burnt-out car in the Pyrenees State Forest, Warrenmang, on April 29.
Queenscliff man Andrew Oleenik attended an appointment in Geelong at noon on March 7, 2005.
Despite saying he would be home for dinner, Mr Oleenik never returned.
Victoria Police are calling for any information — no matter how small or insignificant it may seem — that could lead to finding these missing people.
Anyone with any information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential crime report at crime stoppersvic.com.au