News  April 15-30

15 April -Police identify body found in Sydenham 
Sydney police have revealed that an 18-year-old man, whose body was found in the south-west Sydney suburb of Sydenham last week, was helping a police inquiry into a paedophile ring before he was killed.
The skeletal remains of Arron James Light were found by a construction worker in Sydenham last week.
Detective Inspector Ian Lynch of the Newtown Local Area Command says the 18 year-old died of multiple stab wounds five years ago.
"At the time of his death, Aaron has been assisting a police strike force with their inquiries in relation to the activities of a group of Sydney based pederasts," he said.
"His bank account was last used on Friday 12 September 1997 at Oxford Street, Darlinghurst."
Source: ABC News Monday, 15th April 2002. 


15-21 April
Mystery of kidnapped Maori baby 
Mystery of kidnapped Maori baby  BBC News (15/4)
Joy as kidnap baby found  News Interactive Australia  (21/4) 
Abducted New Zealand child returned to parents  Miami Herald
Baby reunited with parents after nine day kidnap ordeal  Ananova
Baby Kahu home safe  News Interactive Australia
Eight month old New Zealand baby found alive and well after kidnapping ABC & RA News
Abducted New Zealand child returned to parents. 

16 April 
Perth woman re-united with mother after 50 years. 
Perth woman re-united with mother after 50 years thanks to Child Migrants Trust.
The State Government’s funding of the Child Migrants Trust has paid off for one Perth woman, who will be reunited with her 86-year-old mother from whom she was separated as a baby.
Marcelle O’Brien left Perth today for the United Kingdom to meet her mother of whom she has no memories and a sister she didn’t know she had. Ms O’Brien arrived in Perth at the age of five as part of the Commonwealth Child Migration Scheme. She had lived with a foster family in the United Kingdom from the age of one until she came to Australia in 1949. The Child Migrants Trust helped Marcelle to locate her mother. 
Community Development Minister Sheila McHale farewelled Ms O’Brien at the Perth International Airport.
In August 2001, Ms McHale announced an additional $36,000 in funding for the Child Migrants Trust on top of its annual allocation from the State Government of $64,000. 
The Minister said it was heart-warming to see how the trust assisted the lives of individuals.
“The years of loss and sadness through separation can now come to end for this family,” she said.
“It took many years and much hard work for the trust and Ms O’Brien to locate her mother. I congratulate them on their perseverance.
“The trust supports up to 40 reunions with family each year for its clients in Western Australia.”
The Child Migrants Trust is an organisation that provides services to former British child migrants.
Between 1913 and 1968 approximately 2,950 British children were sent to WA.
In Australia, the trust operates offices in Melbourne and Perth. A higher percentage of child migrants were located in WA than in other States. The trust currently has 300 clients in WA.
Source: Media Statement from the Minister for Community Development in WA, 16/4/02. 

16 April
Next of Kin to be informed about ashed bones 
The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) will take immediate action to ensure that all details held by Government agencies about the identity of ashed bone samples used in nuclear fallout research from 1957-78 be made available to next of kin. 
This follows the acceptance by Federal Health Minister, Senator Kay Patterson, of a report of the Australian Health Ethics Committee (AHEC) of the NHMRC, which recommends that ARPANSA pass on to State and Territory institutions involved in supplying ashed bones under the Strontium 90 Program all details it has on record. This, in turn, will allow next of kin to access the information from the institutions involved. Chief Executive officer of ARPANSA, Dr John Loy, said today that he believed that few people would question the value of the medical research, which clearly showed higher than normal levels of Strontium 90, a major component of nuclear fallout, in the ashed bones of deceased Australians at the height of atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons."Fortunately the former Australian Atomic Weapons Test Safety Committee, which coordinated this program, kept meticulous records and ARPANSA, which inherited those records, has compiled them into a data base. In line with the ABF-C recommendations ARPANSA will make all of this information, including identified ashed bone samples still held by ARPANSA, available to both State and Territory Health Departments and the relevant institutions that were involved in the Strontium 90 Program.AHEC recommended that hospitals or institutions should not approach next of kin but they need to be ready to assist with information, counselling and assistance with disposal of any ashed remains when approached by relatives," Dr Loy said."The timing of this will need to be determined by the State and Territories involved, however I expect that the States and Territories will make announcements about the availability of information for affected next of kin in the near future."The research undertaken during the Strontium 90 Program had a marked impact on the decision to discontinue atmospheric nuclear testing. The report, Ethical and Practical Issues concerning Ashed Bones from the Commonwealth of Australia's Strontium 90 Program, 1957-78, is available on the NHMRC website at www.nhmrc.gov.au The earlier report by ARPANSA, Australian Strontium 90 Testing Program 1957-1978, is available at www.arpansa.gov.au .
SOURCE: The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency and Department of Health & Ageing 

16 April
Missing couple's car found - 72 years later 
Washington . A Washington state couple disappeared while driving along a lake, 72 years ago.
Their car has now been found. The Olympic National Park Service confirmed that the 1927 Chevrolet found over the weekend in Lake Crescent was one driven by Russell and Blanch Warren when they disappeared in 1929. The car was found in more than 170 feet of water. The lake is 600 feet deep in some places. Authorities plan on leaving human remains intact, if any are found. Source: Associated Press

18 April
French undecided on future plans for Aust war graves 
The French Government says it cannot guarantee a proposal to build a third Paris airport will not have an impact on Australian war graves from the first and second world wars.But the French have also said no decision has been made to proceed with the plan.The site selected for the third Paris airport would see it built over thousands of Commonwealth war graves in the Somme, the scene of the biggest battles of WWI.Thousands of Australians died there defending France and many relatives of the diggers have reacted angrily to plans to move the graves to make way for the development.After meeting with France's Minister for Veterans Affairs, Jacques Foch, in Paris, Australia's Deputy Prime Minister, John Anderson, said he had been assured full respect would be shown to the burial sites and that Australia would be consulted over any future development.The French Minister said a final decision would not be made on the airport for at least two years but he could still not guarantee that if the project went ahead, some of the Australian graves would not have to be moved.
Source: ABC News
Missing woman’s family plead for a Call 
The family of missing Armidale woman Niamh Maye have appealed for anyone who might have seen their youngest daughter to contact police. Niamh’s mother Anne said her daughter phoned home just before Easter to say she was travelling from Batlow to her sister's in Sydney on the Easter weekend, but she did not arrive. Niamh’s father Brian said if anyone had seen their daughter while she was travelling or even heard the slightest snippet of information about her, they should contact the police. “Even the smallest piece of information could be a great help to us,” Brian said.
Source: Police Media Release 18/4/02
Growing concerns for safety of Armidale woman
Inquiries into the disappearance of Armidale woman Niamh Maye, 18, are centring on the Jingellic, Batlow and Tumut areas. The investigation is concentrating on an unconfirmed report that 18-year-old Niamh may have been dropped off at Tumut around 1pm on Easter Saturday the 30th of March, 2002, from the Jingellic area so she could hitch hike to either Gundagai or Cootamundra with a view of catching a train to Sydney to meet up with relatives. We are still interested in the movements of a black HT Holden sedan, an old hearse, on Easter Saturday the 30th of March, 2002. Niamh is described as being of white/European appearance, 170-175cm tall, of slim build, with shoulder-length brown hair, blue-grey eyes, and a freckled face. She was last seen carrying a backpack, tent, sleeping bag, and a metre-long stick. Anyone with information is asked to contact Tumut Police on (02) 6947-7199 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. All information will be treated in the strictest of confidence.
Source: Police Media Release 18/4/02

20 April
Elderly man missing from nursing home 
Police are appealing for help to find an elderly man missing from his southwestern Sydney nursing home.
Police said Walter Skib, 70, was last seen at around 9.30am (AEST) today at the Peakhurst Nursing Home on Henry Lawson Drive, Peakhurst.
They said he was suffering a medical condition which may make him appear confused or disoriented. 
Mr Skib is described as being of white/European appearance, 170cm tall, of stocky build, with blue eyes and receding short, brown hair. He wears broad-rimmed glasses with a dark frame.
Police believe he may be trying to make his way to his wife's home in the nearby suburb of Oatley.
Anyone who may have seen Mr Skib is urged to contact Hurstville Police on 9375 8599 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Source: The Sydney Morning Herald & AAP

21 April - Man drowns, son still missing in Fiji boating accident 
A search is continuing for a Victorian man after a boating tragedy in Fiji, which claimed the life of his father. Anthony Legudi, 51, of Swan Hill, drowned when his boat overturned yesterday.
His son, Christopher, is still missing while his wife, Rhonda is recovering at the nearby Wainibokasi hospital. Police say the accident occurred at about 3:00pm.
The boat had overturned at Naselai waters. The navy conducting the search and rescue operations had recovered his body later in the afternoon.
The search for 18-year-old Christopher is continuing.
The Australian High Commission in Suva is now looking into the incident.
Source: ABC News
23 April - Weipa Search for missing man
Police continued the search for a man missing since Saturday, April 20. The 36-year-old Weipa man is believed to have been thrown into the Mission River from a motorcycle which was involved in a single vehicle accident on the Mission River Bridge. Police are appealing for any witnesses to the incident or anyone who was in the area of the Mission River Bridge on Saturday night and may have any information to contact Weipa police on 4069 9119 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Source: Source: Police Media Release April 23 
27 April
Police investigate human remains found at cliff base.
An investigation has been launched into the discovery of human remains at the base of a cliff near Nelson Bay north of Newcastle.The skeletal remains were found yesterday by two abseilers on the eastern side of the Tomaree Headland. Crime scene police are now examining the area.
The police rescue air wing and the fire brigade rescue unit will recover the remains later today.
Source: ABC News
28 April - Police continue search for missing Tumut woman 
Police investigating the disappearance of an 18-year-old woman in southern New South Wales last month have renewed their appeal for help. The search is continuing to focus on the Gocup Road between the towns of Gundagai and Tumut - the area where Niamh Maye was last seen on Easter Saturday.
Police spokeswoman Vanessa Allen-Erikson says Ms Maye had told relatives she was planning to travel to her sister's home in Sydney. "She was carrying a navy backpack, wearing a pair of khaki cargo pants and it's believed she was heading towards Gundagi," she said. "We still need to know if anyone saw Niamh or anyone resembling her on the Gocup Road on Saturday afternoon or whether Niamh was seen getting into or out of any motor vehicles." Source: ABC News
29 April - Missing girls found safe 
Two teenage girls who went missing last night in Sydney's west have been found at a grandparent's house in St Marys. Police feared for one of the 13-year-old girls, as she is an insulin-dependent diabetic.
Both are safe and well.Source: ABC News
30 April - Human remains found in northern NSW 
Human remains have been found on a private property near Ashford in the northern tablelands of New South Wales. The body is believed to be that of a 45-year-old man who went missing three months ago.
Source: ABC News
International News:
27th April
Poor weathers hampers search for missing Russian orphans 
Poor weathers hampers search for missing Russian orphans
Two teachers and eight children from a Russian orphanage have been reported missing after setting off for a hiking trip in northern Siberia a week ago.A helicopter, an all-terrain vehicle and five skidoos (motor-sleds) are attempting to track down the group, which has not been seen since it set out from the village of Kyusur on April 20.The group had been due to arrive at the port of Tiksi, 130 kilometres from its starting point near the river Lena, on Wednesday.The searches have had to be suspended because of poor weather.Source: ABC News