PORT Stephens is getting behind the Green Seat Project, an initiative designed to raise awareness of long-term missing persons cases.
Three green seats, one for each Ward, will be placed in Port Stephens as a reminder of missing people whose absences are still felt.
Each seat will also be equipped with a plaque and a QR Code redirecting residents to The Missing Matter, a website dedicated to documenting the stories of those who disappeared.
In Australia, police receive more than 50,000 missing persons reports annually, and 2,900 of those cases turn into long-term disappearances.
The mother of Sally Leydon, the founder of The Missing Matter, was one of them, having disappeared 28 years ago.
Determined not to let the experience break her, Ms. Leydon launched The Missing Matter, a space for people to talk about their missing loved ones.
Port Stephens Mayor Leah Anderson remarked how the story resonated with her, particularly after she was given a list of the local people that had gone missing from the community.
“It blew me away to hear that we had nine missing people,” Mayor Anderson said.
“A 33-year-old missing since May 1983; a 20-old missing since June 1993; an 89-year-old missing since April 2006; a 38-year-old since 2007; a 73-year-old since 2007; a 55-year-old since 2015; an 18-year-old since 2016; a 33-year-old since 2019; and a 63-year-old since April 2021.”
Councillor Roz Armstrong expressed hope that the QR Code on the seat would prompt people to reflect on the impact of missing persons cases and, perhaps, take action.
The Missing Matter will collaborate with Port Stephens Council staff to determine the best location for each green seat, although there is a possibility that existing seating may be repurposed.
By Nico LOMBARDO
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