Richard Leape Come Home

All too often you see in the news the sad sad story of someone who has been missing for many years. A terrible tragedy you think - and you reflect that you're so lucky that this happens to "other people" and never to someone you actually know.

But you know how life is - just as you've become complacent and comfy - life slaps you with great gusto in the back of the head. It makes you sit up and shiver - literally.

One of my High School teachers is missing ... has been missing for the last 12 fucking years!

I found out via the recent Cornelia Rau story - the poor schizophrenic woman who was stuck in Baxter detention centre. She had been involved in some dodgy cult in Sydney called the Kenja group - the type that is alleged to convince people that all they need to do is follow "The Master" (whoever the flying fuck that is) and they will no longer need their medication!

Cornelia started her disappearing act not long after.

And so was the case with my old High School teacher Richard Leape. Over 12 years ago he also attended the same cult group, went off his medication, and ended up wandering the streets of Surry Hills in his own psychotic world. His sister from the Gold Coast found him.

Despite her best efforts, Richard lept from the taxi in which she was taking him to the airport. They were going to head back to the family on the Gold Coast. He was never seen again.

Now you might think - "he was just some old teacher of yours - why give a toss?" However - there are some teachers in this world worth giving a toss about. Mr Leape was one of them.

He was my science and chemistry teacher in middle to late high school - round 1980/81. He was young, not cynical or jaded (the fate of too many once brilliant teachers), enthuiastic - and very inspiring. I remember him as one of the few teachers in High School that I truly respected.

And then to read this news article about this cult and Miss Rau - and to find my old teacher had suffered a similar, yet worse, fate. He was never found. After I read this - I was chilled to the bone for the next half an hour.

This happens to other people - not someone that you know!

But it does happen ...

So Richard is now a "Missing Person".

Here is a picture of him:



Details about him can be found here and at the bottom of the page here.

So the next time you're wandering through Surry Hills or the City or Newtown - keep an eye out for the street folks and homeless people ... you could solve a 12 year old mystery ... and put many minds at ease.

Of course, I'm not naive enough to have ignored the possibility that Richard is dead. We can but hope for better news.