Point Last Seen is an intensely personal work.
This is a true story of one woman's odyssey through three complex issues of childhood sexual abuse, domestic violence and mental illness.
 All too often we hear or read horrific stories of children being abducted by pedophiles and shudder at the thought of what these innocent victims must have experienced. Rarely, if ever, do we hear how the terrifying experiences affect these victims as they journey through their lives. Ricky Hunter tells her story of being abducted at age five and how this terrifying ordeal shaped her life from childhood through to early womanhood and beyond.
Feelings of powerlessness, deadness, states of depression and post traumatic stress all placed Ricky in a precarious and vulnerable position.
All too often we hear or read stories of domestic violence, vicious physical, mental and emotional attacks on defenseless women and children and shudder at the thought of what these victims must endure during and after their horrendous ordeal. Rarely, if ever, do we hear anything about how these victims survive their traumatic experiences. How do they cope with their day to day lives? How deep do their scars run? How fierce are their recurring images? Just what does the future hold?
Here Ricky Hunter tells her unabridged story. Her seemingly endless struggle to gain insight into how to process the images and emotions tied in with the horrifying events that happened to her are paying off. Having the tools to handle a melange of personal conundrums, in the face of overwhelming odds has enabled Ricky to gain control of her life.
Ricky's success in taking back her life one day at a time started with coming out of denial and facing her abuse issues head-on. For one person to survive such traumatic events and come out the other side is testimony to the human spirit.
Foreword
Ricky is a survivor of childhood abduction, and domestic violence. Her journey to recovery has been a long, arduous one fought with great resolve and tenacity. She has walked this road hand in hand with her Almighty Heavenly Father and her much-loved and precious son. Ricky's lifeline is her incredible supportive general practitioner; her exceptional personal doctor; her skilled therapist and a close-knit group of valued friends who love her unconditionally.
Our paths first crossed in October 2003 when Ricky was referred to a therapist in our service. Ricky presented to me as an angry, confused, fragile woman desperately trying to move past her depression. For one person to survive such traumatic events and come out the other side is testimony to the human spirit. Surviving sexual abuse at age five, coping with psychological terrorism in a violent marriage, and coping with raising a son brain-damaged due to medical negligence would be trial enough. But then, Ricky's only son Jonty went on to develop schizophrenia during his adolescence. Ricky herself began suffering a terrifying mood disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and the excruciatingly painful condition of Fibromyalgia (FMS).
Ricky desperately sought the guidance of a skilled therapist and soon realised that for decades she had lived in complete denial. She hid her deep sense of shame, using self-abusing perfectionism, work-aholism and the escapism of sailing as her "life preserver." She lived her life encapsulated in a tiny hollow shell where she was unable to communicate her fears to what seemed an uncaring world outside. It seemed Ricky could not reach out to anyone. This was the profile of a "classic victim."
Once Ricky grasped hold of the tools for recovery she began to develop an awesome insight; she could literally see how she could empower herself and come out of denial. What a discovery! Ricky made a decision to step up to the challenge. And what a challenge it has been!
Almost overnight Ricky sprang into action and developed a plan that saw her flying overseas alone, revisiting old places and sites where her abuse took place in an effort to take her power back and face her abuse issues head-on.
Turning one's life around, coming out of denial, facing the anger, then accepting the abuse and the truth that you don't have to stay in the victim mode is a very lengthy process and requires a great deal of effort and guts.
This is a story of sterling courage and tenacity. It also gives a powerful message to the reader. You don't have to stay a victim if you have suffered domestic abuse. There is help available.
It has been a great honor for me personally to have met Ricky and read her story, Point Last Seen. I urge all women to read this story and make a firm decision that we won't stand for the global statistics of one in three women being subjects of domestic violence. We need to stop it and stop it now, by education, information and empowerment.
I doubt many people would take the incredible risk to do what Ricky did. But then I see Ricky as an incredible person and a true crusader and advocate against domestic violence. Women who suffer domestic violence walk their own path, their own way. At the end of this book are listed resources and organisations that can assist you if you are a victim of domestic violence. I hope you too will feel inspiration as you walk this journey with Ricky Hunter. "
The Director, Lifecare Options Counselling Service, Brisbane Australia October 2006
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About the Title
Tracking (also known as sign cutting) is a very useful and effective search tool. Every time you take a step you leave sign, or evidence of your passage. Trackers are also known as sign cutters. They follow sign which can include anything from tracks, footprints to any other subtle clues. Tracking begins from the Point Last Seen (PLS). If the sign has not been trampled, it is easier for the tracker to begin. If the sign is trampled, which is often the case, things get more difficult. The trackers have to identify the lost person's tracks and be able to sort them out from all other tracks. They then must be able to follow that trail to the person. In this story, the term Point Last Seen is used in the metaphorical sense.
Tracking Terminology used by kind permission Kim A. Cabrera
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