PILBARA FAMILIES OF MISSING LOVED ONES MEET WITH MINISTER McCARTHY
BY TANGIORA HINAKI
The families of missing Indigenous men from the Pilbara region have made the journey to Canberra this week, rallying outside Parliament House to demand action on the disappearances of their loved ones. The men—Clinton Lockyer, Wesley Lockyer, Brenton Shar, Wylie Oscar, and Zayne Stevens—have all gone missing from remote communities in Western Australia, and their families are frustrated by the lack of answers.
This rally is especially personal for all families. Clinton’s aunt, Anna Lockyer is among those speaking out in Canberra. She and other close family members have already met with Minister Malindiri McCarthy to share their concerns and will meet with Senator Dorinda Cox today to continue pushing for answers.
“We have asked Minister McCarthy to look into a royal commission and a reward for our young men to have our own task force in the Pilbara that is culturally appropriate for our people.”
The families are calling for more action from authorities to investigate the disappearances and ensure that the voices of Indigenous communities are heard. This week, the protest in Roebourne, WA, is also being organised by the Lockyer family, showing their ongoing commitment to bringing attention to this issue.
Nyamal Elder Doris Eaton spoke up for her missing grandson Wesley Lockyer.
We need to find our young ones, especially with Aborigine kids that been missing. The police can't do nothing, and the government cant support it, so we ask for rewards; my daughter here put her own reward forward. We ask they continue the search. Police searched for one week. We want to find our young men; we need support to find them.”
Joanne Taylor is the mother of Wesley Lockyer and has hired a private investigator to delve into her sons disappearance.
“We’re trying to find him, we’re trying to bring him back home. We have not been successful. We have been struggling. WA Police have not helped us very much. They did a seven-day search and basically left us alone and abandoned. We’ve had to fund our own resources. We’ve done three protests so far—one in Broome, Port Hedland, and a big one in Perth. We’ve got another one on Friday in the Pilbara. We have our own Facebook page and a GoFundMe page. We are struggling to get the attention we deserve.”
The fourth “Bring Them Home Rally” will be held in Roebourne on Friday, November 29th. Everyone will meet at the Roebourne Basketball courts at 4 p.m.