MISSING – Where is Albie?

By Helen Tatchell

Albert ‘Albie’ Smith was due to go home the morning he walked out of the Ballan Aged Care facility and is still missing a week later.
Mr Smith, from Mt Doran, is 88-years old and relies heavily on heart medication and morphine patches for back pain. He also left without his walking stick or his walker.
Police say Mr Smith left the Ballan facility between 5.30am and 7.10am on Monday 8 October.
“A confirmed witness came forward and said they had picked Mr Smith up on Old Melbourne Road in Ballan and drove him to an address in Mt Egerton just after 7.30am,” Sgt Michael Kearnes from Ballan Police said.
Mr Smith’s children, Geoff, Helen and Wendy attended two press conferences at Ballan Police station and said the property at Mt Egerton belonged to a friend of their father.
The friend was not home and the whereabouts of Mr Smith remained a mystery, until last Thursday.
Inspector Brendon McCrory from Bacchus Marsh police said the police airwing, SES, Ballan Police and Moorabool CIU have been conducting searches and door knocks in the Mt Egerton and Morrisons areas.
“We had a call from a witness who said they saw Mr Smith at the Morrisons cemetery on the Tuesday morning. Unfortunately, they did not come forward until two days later,” he said.
“We have no new news or sightings since then and encourage the community to please be vigilant and check all out buildings and sheds, as we continue our search for Mr Smith.”
Amid tears and grave concerns, the family said Mr Smith needed to be back in care for a while.
“He is a fiercely independent man and was determined to get home. He hated where he was, and we were putting plans in place to get him home,” daughter Wendy said.
“We feel he has taken the bull by the horns to try and get home himself,” she said.
“Dad has been a very strong-minded man all his life and would be in considerable pain without his medication.”
Daughter Helen from Maldon said she believed her father may have had “to get some aid and someone has helped him out, without realising he is an escapee!”
In 2016, Mr Smith received a Certificate of Achievement – Citizen of the Year
in the Moorabool Shire Australia Day awards for his service to the upkeep and maintenance of the Morrisons cemetery.
Mr Smith had been in the Ballan Aged Care facility recovering from leg ulcers for the past couple of months, and questions have arisen about his access out of that facility without supervision.
“We can confirm that a Transitional Care Program (TCP) client left the Ballan District Health & Care Hostel on Monday morning and is still missing,” an unsigned and unnamed statement to the Moorabool News read.
“Our priority is to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our client and supporting the family through this difficult time.
“We are actively assisting in the search effort and reviewing arrangements at the service to reassure the community of the safety of all residents of our service.”
And one last message from the family.
“Dad give us a call please. You are going home; we were not going to stop you from going home. We really miss you dad.”
Any information of the whereabouts or sightings of Mr Albert Smith can be directed to Ballan Police on 5368 1303 or Triple-000.