IT has been almost 30 years since Gordana Kotevski was snatched from a Lake Macquarie street.
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Now, her family is raising money to paint a large mural as a public beacon of remembrance.
She was set upon only 50 metres from her destination and was seen being bundled into a vehicle. She has been missing ever since.
NSW Police on Tuesday said the case remained open and the investigation was ongoing.
To mark the 30th anniversary, a campaign has been launched to raise money to have a work of art created and displayed for the community to remember Gordana.
Her aunt, and family spokesperson, Julie Talevski said a site had not yet been chosen, but organisers hoped to find a spot in Charlestown.
"Last November around the 29th anniversary there were numerous graffiti messages about Gordana and bringing her home painted around Newcastle city," she told the Herald.
"At the same time I could see the [other public] murals going up around the city and they just add such beauty to what could be dull, boring urban spaces. I think this could be a great initiative for Charlestown."
The family is working with Jacinta Fintan from The Wall Station to find a site and a local artist for the work.
They hope to raise $20,000 through the online fundraising page, which opened this week.
"I think it will serve as a constant reminder to the people of Newcastle of what happened to an innocent child, as that is what she was," Ms Talevski said.
"It would be a conversation starter, like the billboard that goes up each year at McDonald Jones Stadium.
"It might even prompt someone who knows something to come forward after all these years.
"Ultimately, what we want is justice for Gordana."
An inquest into her disappearance in 2003 found that Gordana had died, most likely as a result of foul play.
Strike Force Arapaima was set up in 2019 to conduct re-investigations into three separate disappearances and suspected murders of young girls who vanished from Lake Macquarie - including Gordana.
Police say the investigation into Gordana's disappearance is not linked to those of the other girls that the task force is handling.
A $1 million reward was announced in 2022 as part of the long hunt for those responsible for the teenager's disappearance.
- Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000.
- gordanasmural.raiselysite.com
Nick Bielby
Nick Bielby is a crime reporter who has worked as a journalist since 2011. Having joined the Newcastle Herald in 2017, he won a Walkley Award in 2019 with Donna Page for their investigation 'Dirty Deeds', which exposed the decades of illegal dumping of toxic material in and around a Hunter waterway.
Nick Bielby is a crime reporter who has worked as a journalist since 2011. Having joined the Newcastle Herald in 2017, he won a Walkley Award in 2019 with Donna Page for their investigation 'Dirty Deeds', which exposed the decades of illegal dumping of toxic material in and around a Hunter waterway.
