As part of National Missing Persons Week South Coast police have renewed the search for Ray Speechley who went missing from aged care facility on Ruth Place, Dalmeny on Thursday July 7, 2016 around 4pm.
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Ray's wife Jan Speechley said her husband is the last thing she thinks about before she goes to sleep and the first thing when she wakes up.
"We were extremely close, we met at 18 and were married for almost 58 years, we were as close as anyone can be," she said.
"He was a very affectionate person, loved sport, swimming, fishing, gardening - even the day he went to hospital he was in his garden and mowed his lawns.
"He loved the outdoors but he also loved the bush so unfortunately he could be anywhere."
In December 2019, a coronial inquest found it was likely Mr Speechley had died of hypothermia in bushland near the aged care facility he left from.
Police plan to conduct a search of bushland around Dalmeny in the coming weeks.
"The investigation has never been closed, we'll do our best to bring Ray home, one aspect of that is a fresh bush search in an area we've identified may hold some leads for us," South Coast superintendent Greg Moore said.
"We'll be conducting that search using specialist resources to give us the best chance of finding Ray."
Jan Speechley had concerns about access to the bushland but Supt Moore said police had the resources to cope with the difficult terrain.
Supt Moore urged anyone with knowledge about a red/maroon four-door sedan, similar to a Honda Accord, which was seen stopped along the Princes Highway around 700 metres north of where Ray was seen, to come forward.
He was last spotted wearing jeans and a dark jacket with a pyjama top underneath and brown deck shoes.
Jan Speechley believes Ray was trying to get home, and may have taken the long way home through the bush.
Their house was only a 10-15 minute walk from the nursing home.
"I know where he was trying to get to, he was trying to get to me," she said.
Four years on, little things still bring Jan back to Ray.
"I was at the shops the other day and I saw this sweater on a man and that was the same sweater that Ray used to wear and I just stopped dead in my tracks and stared, he must've thought I was mad."
More information about missing persons can be found at www.missingpersons.gov.au.
Stuart Thomson
Journalist at the South Coast Register.
Journalist at the South Coast Register.
