BOOTS ON THE GROUND: Community takes over search for missing Ballina woman
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The search for missing Ballina woman Stephanie Cordery is entering a new phase around Nimbin this weekend, with an experienced former police rescue operator leading a major volunteer effort to find her.
Philip “Tully” Benfield, who has around 20 years’ experience in policing and police rescue and extensive involvement with other emergency services, is calling for boots on the ground after the official police search ended.
Mr Benfield, who now runs Goonellabah-based Search and Rescue Services, will lead volunteer teams from Mt Nardi on Saturday and Sunday, initially concentrating on an 800-metre radius around where Stephanie’s car was found.
He told Ballina News Daily he was already expecting at least 25 people, but believes considerably more could turn up.
The search will begin at 8.30am on both days from the telecommunications tower at Mt Nardi, north of Nimbin.
Police are also expected to send a police rescue operator to assist with mapping of areas already covered during the official search, helping the volunteer teams avoid unnecessary duplication.
“They’re coming out to be helpful, not to take over, just to show us what they’ve already done mapping-wise,” Mr Benfield said.
It follows concerns raised by Stephanie’s family about the resources devoted to finding the 42-year-old since she disappeared.
Mr Benfield was careful not to criticise police and acknowledged there were limits to how long emergency services could continue committing resources to a search.
“The police have stopped the search and we’re sort of taking it on now,” he said.
But he said his experience in policing and emergency services had shown him the difficult position families could find themselves in when an official search ended without answers.
“You’ve lost a loved one and you’re expecting emergency services to just go hell for leather,” he said.
“Then several weeks later they pull out and you’re like, well, what do we do now?
“The family’s left without an outcome.”
Experience and technology behind search
Mr Benfield joined the police in 1999 and spent about 20 years in policing and police rescue, along with years of involvement in other emergency and rescue services.
Those experiences ultimately led him to establish Search and Rescue Services, which conducts searches for missing people free of charge to their families.
The business earns income through other work, including searches for lost animals using thermal drones.
This weekend’s operation will use more than people simply walking through the bush.
Mr Benfield said the team was drawing on a program known as Lost Person Behaviour, using statistics from previous missing-person cases and information supplied by Stephanie’s family to help identify the areas most likely to warrant closer searching.
Phil ‘Tully’ Benfield (far right) with some of the technology his company uses to assist with searches.
“We are guessing, but we’re using a bit of stats to push the areas that we want to search first,” he said.
While much of the search will concentrate within about 800 metres of where Stephanie’s vehicle was found, Mr Benfield said other possible areas further away had also been identified.
Technology will help coordinators keep track of exactly where volunteers have been.
Searchers will use the CalTopo mapping app, scanning a QR code before setting out so their movements can be tracked and the ground they cover recorded.
Even an hour can make a difference
Fit, able-bodied volunteers willing to tackle thick and sometimes difficult terrain are urgently needed, but Mr Benfield stressed there are jobs for people of different abilities.
Even an hour of someone’s time could help.
People unable to undertake the more difficult ground searching can assist with note-taking, equipment and administration.
Ground searchers should wear sturdy footwear and appropriate clothing and bring water, food and a mobile phone.
Anyone with a UHF radio is encouraged to bring it, along with a portable power bank because the mapping software can drain phone batteries.
The family will provide some food, although volunteers are encouraged to bring their own drinks and snacks.
Mount Nardi (Image: Byron Bay Vision/Facebook)
Property owners around the search area are also being asked to allow teams access to check their land.
Stephanie’s family has thanked the communities of Nimbin, Tuntable Falls and Mt Nardi for their kindness and support as the search continues.
For now, their message is simple: they need people on the ground.
Volunteers can turn up at the Mt Nardi telecommunications tower from 8.30am on Saturday or Sunday.
Anyone wanting to coordinate beforehand can contact Mr Benfield on 0418 876 562.
