Their mother, Brisbane journalist Philippa Yelland, took part in several media interviews yesterday in the hope of being reunited with her children. “I still sometimes wake up and think it’s a nightmare and if I just go back to sleep and wake up again it’ll be all right,” she told the ABC.

“It has been excruciating for our client,” she said. “She is extremely distressed and just wants the children home. These children have completely disappeared. I deal with a lot of cases of people separating, but this is different.

WIDESPREAD publicity surrounding the plight of three children believed to have been snatched by their father has failed to uncover any trace of them.

Bokkie, Matilda and Barney Robertson, aged 10, 9 and 7 respectively, have not been seen since a contact visit with their father, Murray Robertson, on March 16.

His home, in the Blue Mountains town of Hazelbrook, west of Sydney, has been abandoned.

The Family Court has taken the unusual step of issuing a publication order allowing media to broadcast the names of the children and the parents involved in thecase.

Their mother, Brisbane journalist Philippa Yelland, took part in several media interviews yesterday in the hope of being reunited with her children. “I still sometimes wake up and think it’s a nightmare and if I just go back to sleep and wake up again it’ll be all right,” she told the ABC.

Leading advocates for family law reform, including Barry Williams, at Lone Fathers, and Sue Price, at the Men’s Rights Agency, said Mr Robertson was not known to them and was not in the tight circle of people calling for the implementation of joint custody as the post-separation norm.

Ms Yelland and Mr Robertson, whose marriage ended acrimoniously 18 months ago, went to court last September and a judgment setting out access rights was handed down in November. Mr Robertson was to have contact every third weekend with the children, who had been living in Brisbane with their mother.

Family law specialist Fiona Kennedy, of Delaney & Delaney, is representing Ms Yelland.

“It has been excruciating for our client,” she said. “She is extremely distressed and just wants the children home. These children have completely disappeared. I deal with a lot of cases of people separating, but this is different.

“The Australian Federal Police have been looking for them for six weeks.

“We had a `location and recovery’ order from the Family Court the day after they disappeared, which allowed the AFP to use all their resources to track them down. While I am not allowed to talk about the father I can say I am extremely concerned for the children and their safety.

“If anyone has any information please contact the authorities.”