Harriet Roberts Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 (edited) Hello all, I'm Harriet - I'm 28 living in London working as a Lawyer. I've just got back from 6 weeks travelling in oz, and looking to move to do the two year visa from September. I have the Oz bug But I have another reason for wanting to travel to Australia, I'm looking for my big brother, Martin David Roberts. He Moved to Oz in 1991, and became a fully fledged resident in 2001 or so. My family and I last heard from him in 2004. His main base was in Sydney, Stanmore. I have registered with Salvos who recently closed their file after 6 months. When I travelled to Oz I searched the electoral roll, knocked on doors, searched the death register, did a search with the police of criminal history, an immigration search, and had a campaign circulating via a independent search service called Australian Missing Persons Register. I've had no luck, but I'm not giving up. I'm going to be asking the local news papers in NSW to run "Seeking ads" with his pictures, and when I go to oz I'll be racking my brains on what I can do next to trace him. My biggest worry is that he is not just untraceable, but that he is actively missing, and because of his lifestyle (backpacker - free spirit) that this has not caused alarm. I hope this is not the case. This is the link to the campaign on facebook,message me if you would like details All that I have available to me is spreading the word, hence me posting here. Please can you take the time to share the above post on facebook, and if you have been travelling around Australia in the last decade please take a careful look at the pictures in case you may have met my big brother on your travels. Thanks all for your time HarrietMartin.pdf Martin.pdf Edited February 19, 2014 by calNgary removed link as per rules Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacaranda Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 Welcome to PIO Harriet!I really hope someone contacts you re your brother.Must be awful not having had any contact with him.This forum alone is viewed by alot of people so you just never know,someone might have seen him or know his whereabouts.Good luck with your search,and I hope you manage to find him soon safe and well.xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Counting Stars Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 Welcome to PIO. I hope you find your brother xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MovingtoTasmania Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 I wish you the best of luck with your search Harriet and hope that someone will see the pictures and remember seeing him xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metoo Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 I hope he is found safe and well, good luck with your search x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Roberts Posted February 18, 2014 Author Share Posted February 18, 2014 Thanks everyone! Means a lot xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Que Sera Sera Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 Just wanted to say Hi and the very best of luck in your search. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 Just adding the photos for you. Good luck in your search x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Roberts Posted February 19, 2014 Author Share Posted February 19, 2014 Thanks for the photo's! Apologies everyone for the bad quality. My family are in Wales, and don't have the best scanning equipment :ssign7: I have set up a group on FB as I find the share posts eventually die down - hopefully this will stay a bit more fresh. If anyone has Oz connections, particularly in Sydney, and my brother lived in Stanmore between 1992 - 2004 for definite, even people who have perhaps known him well before he went missing, it would be amazing to hear from them and get any info on potential connections. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1423706651207415/ Thanks all x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maruska Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 Just want to wish you luck in finding him :hug:. What has been done since 2004 when your contacts ceased? Did you/your parents contact the AUS police? And how was his relationship with your family in general? Did he call, message often? Was there any major conflict that might have caused him not to seek contact? There is a possibility that he doesn`t want to be found. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Roberts Posted February 19, 2014 Author Share Posted February 19, 2014 Hi there! Well before 2004 it was generally writing to me, my sister, my mother, (parents separated) and he used to call drunk on xmas day as it was his xmas night by the time our lunch rolled around. He used to get very emotional talking to me in particular as I was 6 when he left and he was an amazing big brother to me. I spoke to him on the phone in AUgust 2004, because he hadn't contacted christmas of 2003, and I was panicked, he was find and had been travelling the outback, living a bit "feral" and being a farm hand. But he returned back to the city and said he was staying put. 2004 onwards, when I wrote to his address in Stanmore often, but I didn't receive any replies. And in 2009, I received every letter I had sent back in the post as sender moved on. I was pretty shocked and not sure what to do. I carried on writing to the address, to the "addressee" to be specific to try to trace him. A long time passed, and I had been busy starting my own life in London away from Wales, studying law etc, but decided in 2012 to get myself to oz to look for him, and my family have always had a fascination with Oz, because of how much Martin fell in love with the country. I contacted Salvation Army and enlisted their help – though they can’t let you know what they are doing without consent from the person. After saving for a long time, I went over last November, partly with my work to stay in Sydney. I also contacted Australian Missing Persons register, it’s a private register of missing people looked after by two lovely Aussie ladies who have helped me and supported me. I headed to Oz, I had his old address, potential name of his neighbour, I knocked on these doors, and also other addresses under similar name. Used the electoral roll, and I wrote to every Martin Roberts in Australia by handwritten letter. I have had responses trickle in but nothing helpful so far. I searched his business number, because he qualified as an architect’s leading hand and was self-employed – this was closed down due to inactivity in 2009. This was worrying to me. At this stage I was advised to attend the police station and just tell them my story, so I did. The police were so lovely to me, at this stage I was quite upset given I had been in oz for a while, I was alone, and just faced disappointment after disappointment I was struggling to cope to be honest. They carried out state and federal searches on all his information and nothing returned showing a record – so that cleared up any fear I had of him being banged up abroad, because there would of course be a record. Not to insinuate that he is a bad guy! But you never know and I have to keep an open mind. I then carried out what I was really stressed about which was the death register, fortunately it came back with no result. After than I headed up the coast to enjoy some of my time in Australia. I have to be careful about listing too much information in any public forum, like addresses and the like because there is a risk of identity fraud. But I hope I’ve given enough info that would give links to him. Yes totally agree regarding the not wanting to be contacted. I can accept that, although all my family and I want is to know he is alive, and not come to any harm. No one did anything about his lack of contact for a long time, and I just want to show him someone gives a crap you know? And no conflicts causing stopped contact, he just stopped calling and writing after 2004. As I said if anyone in Oz would be able to join the fb group would be massively appreciated. And besides my mission to find my brother really looking forward to getting back to Australia in September! xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the boardmans Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 I wish you a lot of luck in finding your brother! Can't imagine how you feel x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Roberts Posted February 21, 2014 Author Share Posted February 21, 2014 I wish you a lot of luck in finding your brother! Can't imagine how you feel x Thanks so much Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Roberts Posted June 17, 2014 Author Share Posted June 17, 2014 Hello everyone! Been a while since I posted on here but I have a slightly better picture of Martin as attached. I'm moving to Sydney on 8th October this year, and carrying on with my search. The British Red Cross and Australian Red Cross have started to help me now which is amazing news Fingers crossed I have some luck in tracing him when I'm in Oz and that hopefully I don't have to escalate it to an official police report. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest51810 Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 I wish you all the best of luck in finding him :hug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Roberts Posted June 17, 2014 Author Share Posted June 17, 2014 Thanks so much Stacey xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MovingtoTasmania Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Harriet, I really hope that you find him and when I do (finally) arrive in Perth, if you want posters putting up, then just let me know! I have no qualms about plastering your brother's face all over Perth hon. I really hope that you are successful xxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelP Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Good luck with your search. I used to live in Stanmore (but only from 2011 onwards). It's a fairly small community. I guess you alredy tried this but it would be worth putting up some pictures around the station and at places such as the pub, coffee shops, bus stop and the library (and even the bottle shop) - might jog someone's memory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Roberts Posted June 17, 2014 Author Share Posted June 17, 2014 (edited) Yes this is definitely the plan once I get to Oz, I have people helping me but I think when you are out there actually doing the leg work yourself it's much better I literally can't wait to go and pick it back up again properly! I knocked on doors in Stanmore last year but yeah good thinking re the posters! Edited June 18, 2014 by The Pom Queen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Roberts Posted June 17, 2014 Author Share Posted June 17, 2014 Hi there! Yeah good call I've done that now (I'm not massively techy!) https://www.facebook.com/helpfindmartin Thanks for all your kind wishes means a lot xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louisella Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 best of luck finding him @Harriet Roberts , please do let us know how you get on x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Roberts Posted June 17, 2014 Author Share Posted June 17, 2014 I will definitely be posting regularly with updates thanks so much Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Londongal76 Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Have shared the page on my facebook. if everyone who reads this does the same we should start spreading the word x. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Britpop Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 (edited) Hi Harriet, just to say why not try gumtree too. It's very popular out here and free to post on. Also there are lots of Facebook groups for people who work remotely and I the outback cattle industry that may be worth posting in to get more rural coverage. 'Ringers from the top end' is an example that should link to others. Also, have you looked to see if there are any architect registrations/accreditation lists in case he is working in this field? Finally, have you considered that he may have travelled to NZ or Bali as that's very popular with backpackers too. Perhaps any expat forums there may be worth posting in. I'm sure that you list of things to do is already huge but just a thought. Good luck!! Edited June 17, 2014 by Britpop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lindor Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Shared on FB. Good luck with your search Harriet, I hope you find your brother safe and sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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