ABC News Australia
Janine Vaughan's family call for billboard to be uncovered ahead of Bathurst 1000
The family of missing woman Janine Vaughan has called on a local council to uncover a billboard about her disappearance in the lead up to the Bathurst 1000 race.
The Bathurst Regional Council has rejected numerous requests from Ms Vaughan's family since 2021 to remove an advertising sign covering a billboard which promotes a $1 million reward for information about her disappearance.
Ms Vaughan's brother Adam Vaughan said this weekend's race, which will attract more than 200,000 people to Mount Panorama-Wahluu, was an opportunity to raise awareness about her disappearance and potentially uncover information.
"So many people are going to be driving in and out of there for the weekend. It only takes one person to remember something," he said.
Finding answers
A coronial inquest in 2009 concluded Ms Vaughan was likely to have been murdered by an unknown person.
The inquest heard that the evidence collected during the investigation was later destroyed, including a blood-stained knife found near where she was last seen.
"Right from the get-go, there were errors made in the investigation," Mr Vaughan said.
"We don't want her to be forgotten.
"We need her to be remembered because that killer or stalker could still be in that town."
Mr Vaughan said 24 years after his sister's disappearance, there were conflicting emotions about finding her remains.
"It would just mean the world to me and my family to know where she was," he said.
Council rejection
The promotional sign was erected in 2021 after a crowdfunding effort by Ms Vaughan's family, and residents and friends from her hometown of Muswellbrook.
But since 2022, the billboard has been covered by a banner advertising the Bathurst Winter Festival.
The council has rejected multiple requests from the family to remove the banner.
"It is a no-brainer, it should just be taken down," Mr Vaughan said.
"When there are this many people going to be in the one vicinity, it is so important.
"When we want these things to promote Janine's name and then we keep getting shut down, it is just a slap in the face."
A Bathurst Regional Council spokesperson said in a statement the billboard was a "temporary installation".
"Initial correspondence with council at the time indicated the signage would be in place for three to six months," the spokesperson said.
"The billboard has subsequently been used to promote the Bathurst Winter Festival [and] this signage will remain in place for the foreseeable future."
The spokesperson said the council had continued to raise awareness of Ms Vaughan's disappearance every year since 2022, with a banner on display on the city's main street during Missing Persons Week in August.
The ABC has contacted Bathurst Regional Council Mayor Robert Taylor for comment.
New South Wales Police said in a statement the investigation into the suspected murder of Ms Vaughan remained open and police were continually monitoring for new information or evidence.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
