Those who know me, I am sure are familiar with the name Steven Clayton...
This afternoon a flood of terrible feelings came back to me in an instant when a girl walked into work and said "you know those two fishermen that are missing? well, one is my friends dad"
It was hard to hide the pain I felt but these few words were enough to make my stomach turn and my heart stop. I quickly went back to my desk and tried to hold back tears.
I wont go in too deep, frankly I'm just not strong enough to right now. Ten years ago on on July 2009 my high school sweetheart and live-in boyfriend went missing at sea. He was with his best friend and my younger brother. The three of them boarded Steven's tinny boat and headed from Riverheads to Fraser Island.
On the way over the high seas started crashing waves over and into the boat, its a trip they had taken many times prior, but not during this kind of weather. Steven got out of the boat and asked his best friend to take the supplies and my brother to their regular camping spot and then come back for him. This was the last time anyone saw Steven again.
On the way over the boat capsized in one-metre seas, whipped up by gale-force winds. Neither my brother James nor Steven's best friend Kelvin were wearing the life jackets that were on board.
As Kelvin could not swim derangement kicked. My brother aged 15 the time swum under the boat got a life jacket out, put it on Kelvin and held them both onto the capsized boat. They were in the freezing water clinging to the boat for two and a half hours when they were spotted by a passing vehicle barge heading to Fraser Island.
Kelvin was unconscious and air lifted to Nambour Hospital and James was airlifted to Hervey Bay Hospital - they both suffered hypothermia.
During all this time and the hours spent clinging to the tinny, the small sandbar where Steven stayed on disappeared as the tide changed. Steven was missing for a full week before his body was found floating in the water by a local fisherman.
That was the longest day that ended the longest week of my life, something that I will never be able forget is that moment the police told me his body was found and I argued black and blue that it must have been someone else "Steven was too strong to die, and loved me to much"
Its so hard to believe that it is almost ten months since I have seen Steven, I occasionally see his mum, and I am really good friends with one of his sisters, Alicia. I guess its nice that in some way I still hold onto him with the friendship I have there.
Here are a few newspaper articles from the time Steven went missing until his body was found. It was on the front page of the local paper "Hervey Bay Chronicle" 3 times and in the state papers daily until his body was found. I wont scan them all articles but here are a few:




This is something Steven's sister Alicia and I wrote at the paper's request:

This was the most hurtful one of all:

I will end with are some happier photos of Steven and I, it was really hard to get him in a photo so I don't have many memories on film, though I do have many that I will always treasure and I keep those in my heart.


Obviously my thoughts are with the families of the missing men, I hope they are found to be safe and sound so they can go back to their loved ones at home.