Missing from a town of 12
He was your typical Aussie larrikin –
Patrick (Paddy) Moriarty, long term resident of Larrimah NT and 1996 Darwin Rodeo Steer Champion, was last seen on 16 December 2017 when he left his house on his quad bike with his best girl – his kelpie ‘Kellie’.
Paddy loved a XXXX Gold and a yarn with any tourists or ‘grey nomads’ making their way through the tiny town of 11 residents. It wasn’t exactly a thriving metropolis but it was home to Paddy, where he lived a simple and peaceful life for the last 10-15 years.
His best friend Barry owns the “Larrimah Pink Panther Hotel”, which provided Paddy the perfect place to enjoy a daily beer (or four).
A man of routine, Paddy would enjoy a few ‘cold ones’ on his designated chair at the Pink Panther every afternoon before retreating home for dinner and bed. His disappearance is described as completely out of character and there were no signs of disturbance at his house.
Paddy came to Australia from Ireland at the ripe age of 18, where he worked on stations as a ‘ringer’. Given his experience and knowledge of his local area and the Australian climate, police do not believe that Paddy became lost.
Despite extensive searches undertaken by police and emergency services across an 85-square-kilometre zone around Paddy’s home both on foot, dirt bike and helicopter – there has been no sign of Paddy or Kellie (the kelpie).
NT Police Detective Sergeant Matt Allen leads the search for Paddy, and tells of his connection to this unique investigation.
“Behind every missing person there is a family. This matter is unique as no family links to Paddy have been identified in Australia.”
Detective Sergeant Allen says, “Whatever it takes as long as it takes, investigators will never give up searching for Paddy.”
If you want to hear more about Paddy and the tiny town he called home, check out the podcast ‘Lost in Larrimah’ which was produced by The Australian in conjunction with Bond University.
