Janine Vaughan's CBD banner to go after billboard handed back to council

The billboard, built following a mammoth fundraising event driven by Bathurst woman Rhonda Griffin with the help of businessman Peter Rogers, was part of an Australia-wide campaign to find answers in the long-term missing person case.

Bathurst woman Janine Vaughan was last seen getting in to a red car in Keppel Street in the early hours of December 7, 2001, and has not been seen since.

A reward of $1 million still stands for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for her death.

Janine's poster was only ever meant to stay for three months, but due to the pandemic and COVID-19 lockdown, the tenure stretched to almost two years, but the time has come for the billboard to be handed to the Bathurst community, as was originally the plan.

READ MORE: Bathurst remembers Janine Vaughan 20 years after she went missing

Mr Rogers confirmed the billboard has formally been handed over to Bathurst Regional Council.

"It is now up to them [what happens]," Mr Rogers said.

"They will place another advertisement on it. I think it's going to be the winter festival. It will go over the top of the Janine Vaughan banner and that will be the end of the banner as far as we are concerned, although we are working on getting a small plaque on the bottom of it."

Ms Griffin said the Janine Vaughan poster was erected almost two ago on May 8, 2021, on the premise that it was only for three months, in line with state government regulations.

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"We've had a lot longer than anyone ever hoped for," she said.

"Almost two years."

Ms Griffin said the billboard itself had to be built as a permanent structure to withhold the elements and to comply with rules.

She said Janine's banner was suppose to come down at the end of August 2021, however the COVID-19 lockdown that came in on August 13 changed the plans.

"No one was allowed to go anywhere, so it just stayed up longer," she said.

"It was really a great result for Janine's banner to be up there that long."

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A second banner which hung underneath the permanent one featuring Andrew Russell, Jessica Small and and Janine, was removed last year.

It too was also only originally meant to be up for the month of August, 2021, to coincide with Missing Persons Week, but was also allowed to stay up for longer.

"It didn't come down for seven months," Ms Griffin said.

Mr Rogers said they have since had the second banner cut into three separate mini banners to give to each respective family.

Both Ms Griffin and Mr Rogers said the banner was an example of the whole community coming together.

"The community were just fantastic as they always are; I mean, it was such a great cause. Rhonda did a fantastic job, we raised around $20,000 in money and in goods to build it, that's how expensive it was, and we didn't have much drama," Mr Rogers said.

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Ms Griffin agreed.

"I've never seen anything run more smoothly. It was meant to be," she said.

"We had support from council from the word go, they were so good. We also had support from all the businesses and then the construction team cut their costs."

She said Janine's family know the sign is about to come down, and while obviously disappointed, understand the time has come.

"They knew it was inevitable. When I told them their answer was they were very disappointed, which we were too," she said.

"But we understand, and they understand. They knew this day was coming, they just didn't know when.

"They are upset, but in all honesty, it has helped them.

"So much information has come through pretty much from the third week of it being up and information is still coming in, so it has worked.

"It's been in the face of everyone, it's constant in the conversation. It's done its job.

"Now the billboard, being a permanent structure and on council land, has been donated by the community and Bathurst itself can use that and that will help the city," she said.

Mr Rogers agreed.

"That's the only billboard council now have, and it wouldn't have come about [without this community effort]," he said.

"Now its been done and it is a fantastic asset to the city, which is what we pushed for."

Ms Griffin said it was always about helping the families and in the longer term benefitting the community.

"It was not only to help the families of the missing people, which it has, at the end it is a great asset to the city to be able to use," she said.

She thanked council for their support in having the original banners erected.

"I can't stress enough, council were so supportive," Ms Griffin said.

"Having to take Janine down, this isn't them doing it, this is actually the law, it's legislated.

"We had a great run."

She also thanked former mayor Bobby Bourke, who she said was instrumental in getting the sign up there.

"Without him this would never have happened," she said.

Council's general manager, David Sherley, said council would continue to support the quest for answers in Bathurst's three missing persons cases.

Mr Sherley said the billboard was erected in July 2021 as a temporary installation.

"Initial correspondence with council at the time indicated that the signage would be in place for three to six months," he said.

"Council has had ongoing discussions with the those involved with the installation of the billboard since that time.

"In 2022, a separate banner was removed from below the billboard and an undertaking was provided by a representative of the group that the existing Janine Vaughan signage was to be removed at the end of Missing Persons Week 2022.

"Council, to continue to raise awareness of the matter has provided support to the group by providing access to the William Street banner for the first week of August in 2022, 2023 and 2024 to promote Missing Persons Week. Council also provided support last year to raise awareness of Missing Persons Week via its digital platforms and will continue to do so."

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