Corsham fundraisers to fly in missing Chippenham man’s mum

9:20am Friday 19th March 2010

By Alana Lewis

Corsham Rugby Club players have launched a fund to pay for the mother of missing team mate Donavan Van Lill to fly over from South Africa to join the search for him.

Donovan’s friend Melodie Snyman, who is working with them, has been in touch with his mother Robyn and says she is desperate to be in Chippenham so she can be at the heart of the hunt for her son, who has been missing for two weeks.

She said: “Her visa application is being processed, so hopefully that will go through by Tuesday so she can come over. At the moment she is very upset and worried, but she feels excluded from it all.”

“We are thinking of holding some sort of fundraiser this weekend or next week to raise awareness of Donavan’s disappearance and to raise money for his mum to fly over. It might be a concert or a rugby match or something.”

Miss Snyman has set up meetings to arrange a special bank account which people can donate to.

“If everyone on the Facebook group donated just £1 we would raise the money in no time,” she said.

Bath Rugby stars have also joined the search to find fellow South African Mr Van Lill, of Blackthorn Mews, Chippenham.

The 29-year-old fitness instructor disappeared from his home on Wednesday, March 3, leaving behind his passport, mobile phone and wallet.

Miss Snyman has now enlisted the help of Bath fly-half Butch James, formerly of the Natal Sharks, a team Mr Van Lill supported when he lived in Durban.

Mr James said he and fellow South African Bath players Michael Claassens, Pieter Dixon and Luke Watson had been glad to highlight the campaign to find Mr Van Lill.

He said: “I can’t even begin to imagine what it would feel like to have a member of your family missing like this.

“If I had the same situation with my brother or another family member, I would want all the help I could get. It’s right that we do whatever we can to help. Hopefully it’s going to help make it easier to find Donavan.”

Officers and more than 40 volunteers from Wiltshire Search and Rescue spent several hours on Tuesday evening combing the footpaths and cycle routes on one of Mr Van Lill's favourite running routes.

Friends of Mr Van Lill are using every means they can to try and find a clue to his disappearance.

A psychic carried out a reading to try and discover the whereabouts of the Olympiad gym instructor.

Melodie Snyman said: “This woman found out about it from the Facebook group and decided she was going to do a reading.

“She felt that Don is still alive and she was describing what she can see where he is – people were thinking he was in an area near Draycot Cerne.

“I don't know what to think, but a police officer said ‘who are we to decide if what she can see is right?’.”