Robbie Jacob can be described as many things: a larrikin, generous, loving and boisterous.
"He would say, 'If it's your last $10 and someone really needs it, you give it to them'," his family said.
But Robbie is also a vulnerable person. And he's missing.
The Canberran was 56 when he was last seen at the city bus interchange in late 2015.
"Most people that knew him wouldn't go a couple of days without seeing him," Detective Sergeant Emma Quade told The Canberra Times.
Which is why it felt so "out of character" for friends and family to suddenly not see the son, father and grandfather.
"We want to remind the community we haven't forgotten him," Detective Sergeant Quade said.
"I really hope that somebody saw him or had an interaction with him and they haven't yet spoken to us and maybe by doing this campaign they might be prepared to speak and help us locate him."
This year's National Missing Persons Week theme is: "What happened to me?"
That's the question families, police and the community seek to answer for the 14 long-term missing persons in the ACT.
"It's heart-wrenching to see the impact it has on families just not having those answers," Detective Sergeant Quade said.
"I don't know, unless you're in that situation yourself, you could never truly understand."
The Australia-wide initiative begins on Monday and aims to shine a light on cases like Robbie's, which remain actively and passionately investigated by the long-term missing persons team.
All 355 people reported missing in the territory in the past 12 months were found.
Most within a couple of days and many with the help of community members.
And according to those who found them, the biggest hurdle investigators faced in their search was borne out of an all-too-commonly believed myth.
"There's a misconception out there that people have to wait 48 hours before they report someone missing," Detective Superintendent Scott Moller said.
"It just puts us behind. Don't wait - come forward as soon as you can."
Information and time are everything in missing persons investigations, which police say are never abandoned.
"I try to steer away from the word 'cold' because it has an inference that it's not being worked on anymore," Detective Superintendent Moller said.
"We'll keep searching for them as long as we haven't found them."
Active cases range from Kate Alexander, last seen in Yarralumla in 1974, and Megan Mulquiney, last seen in Woden in 1984, to Jean Policarpio, last seen in Bonner in 2017.
Long-term missing team members say they remain driven by the chance to help ease generational grief and trauma.
"I think all of us feel it's an incredible privilege to be trusted with these investigations," Detective Sergeant Quade said.
Over 55,000 people are reported missing in Australia every year.
- You can provide information about missing persons by contacting ACT Policing or by calling Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
