Almost 150 Sydney media sites across a range of formats and locations have been donated by OMA members to promote the week. These include a large supersite, bus shelters, airport and shopping centre displays.

Approximately 35,000 people are reported missing each year in Australia. That is equivalent to one person every 15 minutes. 95 per cent of missing persons are found within a short period of time (usually within a week).

The focus for National Missing Persons Week this year is on older people with dementia or memory loss as a key group at risk of going missing. Memory loss and wandering are the more common symptoms of dementia which often lead to the disappearance of an older person.

The missing person chosen by the Missing Persons Unit involves the case of Leslie Hicks, from the Woonona area (Wollongong), who has been missing since March 2008. Leslie was 81 years old when he went missing last year and suffers from mild dementia.

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