The Outdoor Media Association (OMA) and its members have partnered with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) for National Missing Persons Week (NMPW), donating 5,000 signs, worth some $1.6m.
It represents the largest donation in the history of the partnership, with members including Adshel, APN Outdoor, Bishopp Outdoor Advertising, JCDecaux, oOh!media, QMS Media, Tonic Health Media, and TorchMedia.
Originally developed following the disappearance of Queensland (QLD) resident, Tony Jones, in 1988, the 2018 campaign marks the 30th anniversary of the NMPW initiative, the 10th year of the OOH industry’s support in New South Wales (NSW), and the 4th year in partnership with the AFP.
Missing person David O’Reilly was found during missing person’s week in 2016. After being featured in the campaign, Crime Stoppers received multiple calls from the community who reported seeing a man matching his description.
Tess Phillips, general manager, OMA, says, “The OMA deeply values its sponsorship of NMPW, and is proud to help mark 30 years of the campaign, and 10 years of OOH industry support. OOH is the number one, always on place where people go to stay connected, which means it is perfectly positioned to broadcast critical information on missing loved ones. We encourage the public to look carefully at the campaign and come forward with information.”
Jayne Crossling, acting coordinator, Missing Persons and Exploited Children, says, “Through the generous support of the OMA and its members, the National Missing Persons Coordination Centre is able to reach an overwhelmingly large audience and raise awareness of missing persons in Australia. By using its nation-wide network of outdoor media platforms, the faces of missing people are seen across the country. This level of profiling and awareness would not be possible without the ongoing support of the OMA.”
Christine Forster, who is the wife of missing Victorian man John Forster, says, “Seeing their face is confronting but it is so important that missing people are not forgotten – it’s so much more than just family, friends and work colleagues that feel their loss. The support of OMA members means so much in raising the visibility of the 38,000 people who go missing every year – every person has someone who cares about them.”
This year the Outdoor campaign will focus on the following missing people:
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Neville Archer – last seen in Mandurah, WA, 9 August 1991
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Kasper Ellis – last seen in Trinder Park, QLD, 24 December 2015
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John Forster – last seen in Diamond Creek, VIC, 7 October 2017
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Youliang Lin – last seen in Castle Hill, NSW, 15 September 2017
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Paddy Moriarty – last seen in Larrimah, NT, 16 December 2017
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Jean Policarpio – last seen in Bonner, ACT, 26 September 2017
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Nicholas Pavlidis – last seen in Currambine, WA, 14 October 2015
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Scott Redman – last seen in Kimba, SA, 21 April 2018
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Naz Woldemichael – last seen in Hobart, TAS, 9 October 2016
A spokesperson from the OMA says, “Campaigns like NMPW prove to us that the more you give, the more you get. We are grateful to be involved in creating a better outcome for families across Australia with this small gesture of ours – to broadcast critical information about missing loved ones.”
National Missing Persons Week runs until Saturday.
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