3/05/2008 8:40:05 AM
Police have re-opened their investigations into a mystery that has baffled the district community for more than 40 years ? the disappearance of Portland schoolboy Robert Mulhollann.
The nine year old boy ? who was also known as Robert Mulhollann-Green ? disappeared after being signed off the roll at a school swimming session at the Portland Olympic Pool on the afternoon of November 17, 1967.
He had been presumed to be heading for his home a little more than 100 metres from the pool.
Despite a huge police and civilian search no trace was found of the missing boy apart from his schoolbag on the front lawn of the family home.
On Thursday the mystery took a sensational new turn and Portland was abuzz with rumour when a large squad of police descended on the old Mulhollann family home in Williwa Street.
Uniformed and plainclothes police and forensic officers together with a police search and rescue team arrived early in the morning and began digging up the backyard with a backhoe.
They remained on the site for some hours sifting through the upturned soil.
Police were apparently acting on new information.
A police spokesman later told the Lithgow Mercury that the Chifley LAC officers had recommenced inquiries into the 40 year old mystery.
He said inquiries had resumed recently after police received new witness information.
This had led to action on Thursday when the police went to premises in Williwa Street that had been the family home at the time of the disappearance.
Nothing of interest was found during this phase of the investigation but investigations are continuing.
It was the second specific search that had failed to reveal new clues.
In recent year?s following a Lithgow Mercury report of the Mulhollann case during Missing Persons Week the Lithgow Mercury was contacted by a district resident who told of discovering what was believed to be small human bones while fossicking with a partner for scrap metal at the old Ivanhoe mine site at Pipers Flat.
When they accompanied detectives to the location they were unable to pinpoint the site.
Police said however they will continue to follow all leads coming from the public.
At the time of the disappearance in 1967 investigations continued for months before being gradually scaled down, leaving police and the community baffled.
Police, civilians and Army personnel with tracker dogs were involved and members of the Western Mines Rescue Station were called in to search abandoned mine shafts.
Several times police were called to investigate discoveries of what bushwalkers believed were makeshift graves in the scrub.
Robert Mulhollann?s father died in Lithgow two weeks ago at the age of 94.
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