Families of Russell Hill and Carol Clay break their silence

The families of High Country campers Russell Hill and Carol Clay have spoken publicly for the first time on their anguish and desperation for answers.

The families of High Country campers Russell Hill and Carol Clay have told of their agony and hunger for answers over their unsolved disappearance.

The daughters of Mr Hill and Mrs Clay’s sister have spoken publicly for the first time since the pair vanished in baffling circumstances on March 20 last year while on a trip to the Wonnangatta Valley in East Gippsland.

No trace has been found of the friends, whose campsite was later found to be the scene of an intense fire which burnt their tent and camp furniture and scorched Mr Hill’s Toyota four-wheel-drive.

Mr Hill’s daughters Colleen and Debbie said the first sign something was badly wrong came with a call from their mother Robyn.

“You could tell in mum’s voice that she was really worried. For her to be worried, it really means a lot,” Debbie said.

Russell Hill has been missing since March 20, 2020. Picture: Victoria Police

Mr Hills daughters Colleen and Debbie. Picture: David Crosling

They initially thought Mr Hill may have been burnt and gone to find water but Colleen said she quickly realised things didn’t add up.

Since then, there have been many more questions than answers as they navigate their ordeal against the backdrop of Covid’s impact on life.

Debbie said she would sometimes see a man in the street who looked like her father, sparking a glimmer of hope always dashed by knowing he would never have been able to turn his back on family.

“I don’t really believe he could be alive. He wouldn’t hide,” Debbie said.

“It’s really hard. It’s not getting any better. It’s not knowing … you’re just stuck.”

The sisters’ torment is not helped by their own children being unable to understand what has happened and asking questions like; “why can’t you find him?”

“There’s nothing to go by,” Colleen said.

The daughters said they missed their dad’s calls and that time had been marked by milestones made painful by his absence.

Mr Hill would have celebrated his 76th birthday last week. Picture: Victoria Police

It would have been Mr Hill’s 76th birthday last week, an occasion that should have been marked by some kind of celebration, even if he was not the kind to make a fuss.

“You feel really lost without him there,” Debbie said.

Colleen said she found her daughter’s birthday very difficult because Mr Hill always came to family events.

Then there were little things like wishing she could ring her dad to tell him about the kind of movie she thought he would like to watch.

The daughters said Mr Hill was a practical, problem-solving man who had been retired for years but never adapted to doing nothing.

He had worked for many years in the Gippsland logging industry and was comfortable in his own company on many camping trips to the isolated area.

“Dad didn’t really like big crowds of people,” Debbie said.

Ultimately, they are aware the truth will hurt but want to know and have urged anyone with the answers to contact police.

“Mention it to Crime Stoppers. It might link to something that finds him,” Debbie said.

At some stage, the sisters hope to go to Wonnangatta, an area where their parents took them as babies when Mr Hill worked in logging.

Carol Clay. Picture: Victoria Police

Mrs Clay’s sister Jill. Picture: David Crosling

“I’m going to go. It’d be nice to go there, to be in that area,” Debbie said.

Mrs Clay’s sister Jill, who lives in Perth, said she believed whatever had happened was the result of a premeditated “vile act”.

She said she had an ominous feeling from the moment she knew of the disappearance and its circumstances.

“I immediately knew there was something horribly wrong,” she said.

Jill has a clear message for whoever is responsible.

“My message is that you’ve undertaken a heinous act. You’ve got to live with that for the rest of your life,” she said.

“We need closure. We need to know what happened and we need to know where their bodies are so we can put them to rest.”

The sisters were close and had been planning a cruise at the time of the disappearance.

Jill said her “vibrant and vivacious” presence was greatly missed and she had been toasted at any family event since.

Carol has been toasted at every family event since her disappearance. Picture: Victoria Police

Mrs Clay, a grandmother and leading light in the Country Women’s Association, always stayed busy.

“She was the spearhead of the family. Her face would light up. She was full-on. She had a huge laugh,” Jill said.

The booming laugh was operating fully when Mrs Clay visited Jill in Perth and they went to a comedy festival.

“Everyone was much more hip than we were. She was up for anything.”

Mrs Clay had also made the effort to fly to West Australia to help her sister when she was ill and was always thinking of others.

Jill said Mrs Clay was an instigator and organiser who took her responsibilities seriously and did not appreciate it when others failed to pull their weight.

“If there was a fire in Victoria, she was there with the (CWA) support crew.”

The disappearance was bad enough, Jill said, but it was a pain compounded by knowing so little and being unable to hold a funeral.

“We’ve all been in grief and a grief that doesn’t go away because we have no knowledge of what happened to her.

“She’s never out of your thoughts. It’s like a big heavy overcoat that weighs you down. The police have done an amazing job. They’ve gone all-out. The whole family appreciates that.”

Mrs Clay loved cooking, craft, making her own preserves, socialising and was interested in family history.

She had a sense of adventure which extended to going hot-air ballooning for her 60th birthday and to taking the fateful camping trip to Wonnangatta, a decision that sometimes makes Jill “cross” because of the outcome.

“But then, you’ve got to live.”