Back in the halcyon days of printed news, I was the editor of one of Macarthur’s newspapers.
Around the turn of the century, the advertising manager introduced me and my reporters and photographers to a new sales rep.
Her name was Rachelle Childs and we all immediately liked her.
She was a bubbly, happy young woman of around 20, 21, full of confidence, the world her oyster.
Rachelle was part of the massive success of the paper, which was going through its golden period, as it turned out.
Eventually Rachelle, who loved cars, left us to go and work for the recently opened Camden Holden dealership and most of us eventually lost touch with this vibrant young woman with the infectious laugh.
After work on the night of June 7, 2001, Rachelle Childs supposedly went to see someone at her local pub, Bargo Hotel.
About seven hours later, her badly burnt body was discovered in bush near Seven Mile Beach, not far from Gerroa and about 90 kilometres from her Bargo home.
In 2008, Coroner Jane Culver ruled the 23-year-old had been deliberately killed but police did not have enough evidence to identify a culprit.
Three years later, the state government doubled a reward to $200,000 for information leading to a conviction for her murder.
Her father, Graham, said at the time that Rachelle would never have gone anywhere with a person she did not know.
She was last seen alive driving towards Bargo about 5.15pm after she left work at the Camden Holden car dealership.
What happened to Rachelle Childs remains a terrible mystery to this day.
And yet someone, somewhere, knows exactly what happened and who was behind her untimely demise.
Rachelle’s parents and extended family and friends deserve to be able to have closure in this tragedy.
But they can only have closure once justice has completed its course – once whoever committed this evil deed is behind bars.
If you know something that may help the police, please find it in your heart to tell them.
Think about how the person you are protecting does not deserve your support – he or she took an innocent young life and should pay the price.
