By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
THE world can be a bad place.
There may not be a truer statement than this, made by Narre Warren’s Kylie Bartlett, a year since William Tyrrell disappeared from grandma’s home on the New South Wales Mid-north coast.
Narre Warren Goodstart Early Learning Centre centre director Kylie on Saturday held one of roughly 80 Walk for William events organised nationwide.
Casey councillors Rosalie Crestani and Rafal Kaplon were among the 50 people who attended the Goodstart walk, and balloons were released into the heavens as a mark of respect for William and his family.
“I think everyone was warmed by it, we were doing it for William but not just for William, we’re not going to give up,”
“We were coming together as a community whether we know him or not.”
As the manager of a childcare centre, Kylie said William’s disappearance had had a profound effect on the team at Goodstart and the local parents.
“I think that’s what hits home, I don’t have children myself, but as the centre director I look at all these children as my own,” she said.
“The thought of any child going missing hits home for everyone, it just shows, the world’s a bad place.”
The Walk for William events, organised by Bravehearts Inc, has seen a surge in calls to Crime Stoppers in relation to William’s disappearance, with more than 300 people contacting police over the last week with potential tip-offs.
Giuliana Musgrove, a Casey mother, organised another Walk for William at the Narre Warren skate park, supported by several local sponsors, raising $160 and counting.
Giuliana, whose son Braxton is one year old, said William’s disappearance held a special significance for her.
“I have a son of my own and when you think as a mother, having a son go missing – it’s the scariest thing you can ever think about,” she said.
“If it ever happened to me, I’d want all the help and support I could get.
“I wanted to do something to help. You feel helpless, you see pictures of him on the TV, on 60 Minutes, and you want to do anything you can to help bring him home.”
For more information, or to donate to the cause, visit www.whereswilliam.org.
