By Shelby Brooks
In a new interview released by Victoria Police, family members of missing Pakenham camper Carol Clay have described her as a vibrant and vivacious person who was highly involved in her family life and community.
But the underlying heartbreak of not having an answer as to Carol’s fate has been emphasises by her sister Jill, who said it had created a really big black hole in her life.
“It’s been extremely difficult for all of us,“ Jill said.
“We were close. I would talk to her on the phone all the time, she would come and visit me, I would go and visit her.
“We have all been in grief, and that grief doesn’t go away because we have no understanding of what happened to her.“
Jill explained how her sister’s disappearance weighs on her every day.
“Every day it’s like wearing a big heavy overcoat that you can’t take off, it’s with you all the time, it weighs you down, it makes you feel heavy and sad,“ Jill said.
“It’s an enormous loss and I’m just really looking forward to taking that heaviness away.“
Jill described Carol as person full of life, up for anything and with a big laugh.
“Carol was a high energy person,“ Jill said.
“Her face would light up, she had a big laugh and she was always busy.
“She was the eldest sister in the family and she was the spearhead of the family. She was very active in trying to keep all the family together.“
Gardening, bottling fruits, cooking and crafts occupied Carol’s time, as did her involvement in the community.
The last time Jill spoke to Carol was the night before she left on a camping trip with Drouin man Russell Hill to the Wonnangatta Valley.
They emailed about about a cancelled cruise trip.
“I had emailed her late at night and said have you remembered to cancel your flight to Sydney?“ Jill said.
“And she said, oh my goodness no I haven’t done that. I’m packing to go away in the morning, it’s 1am.
“That was typical of her, but that was the last conversation I had with her.“
Jill and another of Carol’s sisters were concerned they hadn’t heard from Carol part way into her camping trip.
“We were worried that they went to such remote places because they weren’t young and they were out of phone range,“ Jill said.
“We were anxious mid week because we hadn’t heard anything but we knew they were out of phone range.“
Campers found Russell’s vehicle with signs of minor fire damage at their campsite, which was completely destroyed by fire, near Dry River Creek Track in the Wonnangatta Valley on 21 March 2020.
“It was a terrible shock for starters and I immediately knew something was horribly wrong,“ Jill said.
“The fact that everything had been left there, it obviously wasn’t a burglary, all their possessions were there and so it just did not make sense.
“You just had this great sinking feeling.“
Jill said the circumstances surrounding Carol and Russell’s disappearance appeared premeditated.
“The fact that (an alleged perpetrator has) gone to so much trouble suggests it’s not just something that’s just happened… it’s been something that’s been preplanned or premeditated,“ Jill said.
“Why would someone premeditate such a vile act on two people who were intelligent, responsible, prepared? So that’s the main question. Why would somebody do this to them?
“My message to (the perpetrator); you’ve undertaken a heinous act and you have to live with that for the rest of your life. We’re living with the consequences of it which are extremely difficult and it’s time to turn yourself in or at least tell someone what you’ve done because it’s not going to go away until you do.“
Carol’s family is hoping an arrest will one day help them find some closure.
“An arrest would be such an alleviation of that weight,“ Jill said.
“We would then be able to know what has happened, why this has happened to them and hopefully lead us to the bodies.
“We haven’t been able to have a funeral or a memorial service because we don’t know what happened. But we’ve been doing it in small ways in remembering her at occasions. We’ve always toasted to her at family events.“
Jill thanked Victoria Police, Carol’s friends and extended family and the CWA for their ongoing support.
