Photo provided: QPS missing person information.
by Khrysti Balanay
It’s been 35 years since Clifford Harmsworth disappeared from Rockhampton on the way home.
Speaking to CQ Today, Barry Harmsworth, Clifford’s eldest brother, admitted a lack of coverage during Missing Week and on the 35th anniversary thought, “Let’s do this for our family and for other people whose family members are missing.”
Clifford Harmsworth, then 22 years old, was last seen by his younger brother Jeffrey when he left his brother’s house on December 2, 1986 between 7:00 and 7:30 p.m.
It was believed that Clifford would make the short walk from Jeffrey’s house on Berserker Street and Rodboro Street to his parents’ house on Mostyn Street.
“In our household, I remember there was an unwritten rule that we always told mom where we were going and when we got home,” said Harmsworth.
“On December 3rd, I paid my daily visit to my mother, who was concerned that Clifford would not return home the night before.”
The next time the family hadn’t heard from Clifford, they decided to file a complaint with the Rockhampton Police Station.
With Clifford not missing for more than 72 hours, Barry, his mother Edith Harmsworth and his brother-in-law Paul Morrice were instructed to return and make a report after that time.
“Every time I contacted mom that day, there were no new messages or contacts from Clifford,” said Harmsworth.
“On Saturday morning we went to Rockhampton Police Station and officially reported Clifford as missing.
“Since we reported Clifford missing, we’ve done a lot of research and tried to locate him.
“We have had several false sightings and have been the subject of a lot of media articles, but we have not been able to locate Clifford.”
Many officials have handled Clifford’s missing persons file over the past 35 years, but the case has gone cold. Clifford would be 57 years old now.
In 2010, after completing a television interview in the days that followed, Barry received a letter from an anonymous source containing information about what happened to Clifford.
“The anonymous letter was sent from Red Hill,” he said.
“Whoever it was must have seen my interview and written the letter.
“We took it as a sick joke.
“It has since been handed over to the police as evidence.”
Clifford Harmsworth is remembered as the quiet guy who planned to graduate from high school and enroll at Glenmore State High School for the 1987 school year.
Before Clifford went missing, he worked at Mumma’s Fish and Chip Shop, which was formerly located in Kmart Plaza.
“There was a tobacco shop across from the fish and chip shop where Clifford met a woman named Julie,” said Barry.
“Clifford and Julie traveled to New Zealand together even though she was married.
“When he came back he couldn’t get his job back; So he decided to go back to school. “
Sometime after Clifford’s disappearance, his family discussed what would make him disappear.
“We couldn’t think of any reason why Clifford should be missing,” said Barry.
“He had friends and he had made up his mind to go back to school and had a good stable family relationship.”
Barry told CQ Today that the pain of Clifford’s disappearance was something that would never go, but he had to move on.
“There are a lot of missing people in Rockhampton alone,” he said.
“As the brother of someone who is missing, you understand how they feel.
“Though I suspect my brother is gone, which is hard to take.
“Sometimes you think of someone or see something and it reminds you of them.”
In 2020, 8,058 people were reported missing to the Queensland Police Department.
Of this number, most of the people were found within a short period of time.
There is no minimum waiting time before reporting a missing person to the police, regardless of age.
Individuals with information about a missing person are encouraged to contact Crime Stoppers at 1800 333 000.
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