How Samantha Murphy’s disappearance forever changed the town of Ballarat
Twelve months ago, Samantha Murphy went for a run and never came home. The alleged murder of the “fearless” mum left the Ballarat community reeling and changed the town forever.
Victoria
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Twelve months ago, Samantha Murphy had the dream of one day completing a marathon.
Wearing a maroon singlet and black leggings, the mother of three left her Ballarat home to go for a run about 7am on February 4.
This was not unusual for Samantha. She did this every morning.
Unlike other women across the state, the 51-year-old was never afraid of exercising by herself, venturing on a 125km solo walk near Apollo Bay to celebrate her 50th birthday.
She was strong, fearless and determined.
But somewhere along the way, Samantha’s life was cut short allegedly by the hands of Patrick Stephenson.
While more than 230 police officers and volunteers were searching for her remains, which have never been found, Sebastopol mother Rebecca Young was killed in a murder-suicide by her partner Ian Butler.
Two months later, the Ballarat area was shocked by a third allegedly violent death of a woman.
Clunes woman Hannah McGuire was allegedly murdered by her former boyfriend Lachlan Young.
Her body was discarded, found in a burnt-out car in Scarsdale.
Three remarkable women allegedly killed by three monstrous men.
Ballarat was well and truly reeling.
Hundreds of angry residents marched the streets, holding signs with prominent statements including “protect our daughters by educating your sons” and “end violence against Ballarat women”.
The message was loud and clear. Enough was enough.
Twelve months on, the same sentiment lingers throughout the town.
Ballarat local Cait Nichols said it was important for men to call out poor behaviour.
“At this point women have done enough, we are tired and we have had enough of talking about violence against women,” she said.
“It comes down to the education of young men so it can be prevented in the future.
“It also comes down to adult men to call out their friends and call out poor behaviour.”
Ms Nichols said her safety concerns were heightened when Samantha disappeared.
“I know for my friends and I, we didn’t want to go for walks by ourselves,” she said.
“We were very vigilant in what we were doing.”
Those locals involved in the initial search, many of whom never met Samantha – but were irreversibly touched by her story – still hold faith the mother of three will be found.
Calling themselves the Ground Crew, their members have organised hundreds of residents into community-led search efforts, scouring bush trails and tracks.
“The past year has been incredibly challenging for the community and of course most importantly her family,” a spokeswoman said.
She said there had been an outpouring of support from volunteers, local community members, and professionals since Samantha’s disappearance.
“I don’t have an exact number, but it’s safe to say that hundreds of people have been involved in the ongoing searches,” she added.
“Whether it was small, community-led searches or larger, more co-ordinated efforts like we saw on February 24 last year … we’re looking at well over 50 search operations, if not more.
“The commitment of the community has been nothing short of remarkable.”
She said their hearts went out to the Murphy family, still confident in their belief her remains will be found so she can be given a proper goodbye.
“The Ground Crew, and the broader community, is still standing with them, and we will continue searching until Samantha is found,” she vowed.
In the wake of the tragedies, the state government announced the Ballarat Saturation Model, a four-year initiative to drive down the rates of gendered violence.
Respect Victoria chief executive Helen Bolton said the community was ready for change.
“Last year, we saw the Ballarat community take to the streets, spark discussions, and say that enough is enough,” she said.
“That’s part of why the saturation model landed in Ballarat – because the community is ready for change, and to take action together.”
Ms Bolton said the organisation had connected with hundreds of organisations to learn what was needed to tackle the issue.
“We have spent the last eight months working with the community to identify where the great work is happening across schools, workplaces, sports clubs, and across all places where people live, work, learn and play,’ she said.
“Over the next five months, the community will work together to further test what we need to focus on, where and how.”
Data from Crime Statistics Agency showed reported family incidents in Ballarat increased by 26.7 per cent in 12 months, with 2118 cases in 2023 compared to 2685 last year.
City of Ballarat mayor Tracey Hargreaves said she was proud of the community coming together but more needed to be done to prevent violence against women.
“In the past 12 months we have seen Ballarat come together and in the face of challenging circumstances, I am extremely proud to see the community’s response as we all work together to take a stand against gender-based violence,” she said.
As part of the Free from Violence Local Government Program 2024-27, the City of Ballarat has appointed a dedicated ‘Free from Violence officer’ and delivered a range of key community events, including a leadership forum hosted last year.
“Going forward, we will continue to work closely with Respect Victoria, Women’s Health Grampians, and the Communities of Respect & Equality (CoRE) Alliance on the Ballarat community saturation model to continue striving towards preventing violence against women,” she added.
Family Violence Prevention minister Natalie Hutchins said the saturation model would make Ballarat a “world-leader” in preventing violence against women.
“Right now we’re calling on people who live and work in Ballarat to be part of designing the world-leading ‘saturation model’ – a whole-of-community approach to stop violence against women which uses every available touch point and reaches every corner of the community,” she said.
“The saturation model means we’re using every opportunity to drive action and awareness – making Ballarat a world-leader in preventing and stopping violence before it starts.”
Unfortunately for the families of Samantha, Rebecca and Hannah, this initiative came too late.
But it may not be for other women, including those who dream about running marathons.
Originally published as How Samantha Murphy’s disappearance forever changed the town of Ballarat
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