In 1987 Ursula Barwick boarded a train to Sydney and hasn’t been seen by her family since.
Ursula left her home in Long Jetty on the NSW Central Coast in early-mid September and she planned to arrive in the big smoke, live with some friends, get a job and set up her life there.
According to her cousin, Melissa Pouliot, Ursula had made the decision to leave school and her family backed her choice to move away.
“She was worldly wise,” Melissa tells The Weekly. “She had been to Sydney on her own before so she knew her way around. We all thought she would be okay.”
Melissa shared a close sisterly relationship with her cousin and was just 15 when Ursula went to Sydney. She says after her cousin left and nobody in her family heard from her for a while they weren’t too worried. Ursula was independent and those close to her reasoned that perhaps she was just talking a break to get settled and would eventually pick up the phone to tell them she was okay. But, she never did.
According to police she was allegedly seen with two girls about the same age in Kings Cross during the period Dec 1987 – Jan 1988 by a family friend.
It’s now been nearly 28 years and still the family has no idea what happened to Ursula and according to Melissa they still have a hard time accepting she might be gone for good.
“I sort of grew up thinking that something had happened to her and thinking that she was never coming back,” Melissa explains. “But then it’s really hard to give a clear answer because while we don’t know there has been no end point so there is always that hope.”
Melissa has said publicly that she believes her cousin may now be dead but she spends a lot of time straddling between that bleak conclusion and her lack of closure on what exactly happened to Ursula.
“What I am really focused on now is trying to ask someone if they have got some information or if they knew Ursula when she was in Sydney to come forward so that we can sort of put our thoughts to rest,” says Melissa.
Last year Melissa organised a picnic for people who knew Ursula in the pair’s home town of Quirindi, “so that people could come together to share their memories and photos of Ursula,” Melissa says. But she also hoped the event would shine some new attention on Ursula’s case.
New detectives from the Kings Cross unit, who were recently assigned the profile last year, were also able to attended the picnic.
“[The police] had the opportunity to meet her friends and family members, as well as extended family members and in that one get-together they just got a wealth of information,” says Melissa.
And while it might almost be three decades since she went missing, police haven’t given up looking for answers surrounding the missing teenager.
Ursula Barwick in 1986. PHOTO: Supplied.
The Team leader of the National Missing Person’s Coordination Centre for the AFP, Rebecca Kotz told The Weekly a taskforce has been set up around Ursula’s case.
Ms Kotz also reveals that recently new information has come to light from social media which might give police a new break in what has for years been a frosty case.
“She would be roughly around 45 now so those people who were friends of hers back in the days when she went missing are the highest end users of Facebook now so some new leads and information has been fed back through to New South Wale police via Facebook,” says Ms Kotz.
This revelation leads Ms Kotz to emphasise the importance of people coming forward with any information about any missing person’s case, no matter how much time has gone by.
“You can’t discount anything,” says Kotz.
During this year’s National Missing Person’s Week, which will run from 1 – 8 August, Ms Kotz says police hope that the public listen to their pleas for help in finding people like Ursula who are long gone.
“If you’ve got something, no matter how minute you think it is, bring it forward and call the police.”
Details in the case of missing woman Ursula Barwick
Missing since: 30 September 1987
Missing from: Central Coast, NSW
Police information: In September 1987, Ursula boarded a train at Tuggerah Railway Station, heading for Sydney. She was just 17 years of age, 178 centimetres tall, with blonde hair and blue eyes. She has not been seen by her family since.
Ursula used her bank accounts twice in the two weeks after boarding the train, but they have not been accessed since. She was allegedly seen with two girls about the same age in Kings Cross during the period Dec 1987 – Jan 1988 by a family friend.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Further information on NMPW can be found at Missing Persons
About Melissa Pouliot
In honour of her cousin Melissa has created The Picnic for Missing which is celebrated on August 1 for people to remember missing loved ones and share memories of those who are missing.
Melissa is also an author and has published a series of novels inspired by her missing cousin Ursula Barwick with her debut book, Write About Me followed by Find Me and When You Find Me.
Melissa’s books have a strong missing persons theme and are all endorsed by the Australian Federal Police National Missing Persons Coordination Centre, because of the role they play in raising awareness and helping families of missing people.
Melissa was featured as a guest speaker at the official launch of National Missing Persons Week at Customs House earlier in August.
