Lionel Daveson disappeared from the Sydney suburb of Rosebery on August 23, 2007. He hasn’t been seen since.
His family and friends have been unable to trace the now 38-year-old’s movements and cannot imagine where he might be now.
Lyn Oswald is Lionel’s older sister. She was also a mother-figure to him when they were growing up. Through tears she tells Hatch that she has no idea where he is.
Her short, sweet stories of Lionel’s childhood paint a picture of a curious and tongue-in-chick youngster.
“As a small child, he was excessively connected to me,” she said.
“He was attached to me so badly, that when I had to go to work at Mission Beach… mum and dad had to bring him to visit me.
“He came to live with me full-time when he was 11 and that changed his behaviour a lot because I was no longer a sister – I took on the parent role.”
Joanne Wilson is a childhood friend and administrator of the Facebook page: Find Lionel Daveson. She says his disappearance continues to haunt her.
“You know, you never really forget. Sometimes it’s at the back of your mind and you’re just doing something and it hits you.
“He was friendly, everyone loved him. He was the type of guy you’d ring up when something was wrong and he would just crack you up. He made you happy again.”
Ms Wilson says Lionel’s adventurous streak and taste for travel had taken him to a number of places.
“He would write me postcards and letters and randomly ring me up and ask if he could come visit me, and I’m like – yep”, she tells Hatch. “[But] we barely saw each other.”
If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Lionel Daveson, contact Crime Stoppers. There is also more information available under the Facebook page dedicated to finding him.
