Ballarat's ongoing grief in the search for Sam

We can't recall a time in the past 20 years that has been marred by as much constant tragedy and a disappearance with no closure.

Previous editors of The Courier have described it as similar to back in July 1999, when young mother Belinda Williams disappeared.

Her body was found more than a week later at Mount Buninyong and her death remains a mystery.

Samantha's disappearance, and the arrest of 22-year-old Patrick Stephenson, charged with her murder, has hit home so much because we're a close-knit community.

Two families, one of them high profile, have been devastated by this tragedy, along with those close to them.

As City of Ballarat Mayor Des Hudson said to The Courier recently, we are looking for answers and it's tough when we are grieving as a community.

"We know lots of people and that web of connection," he said.

This week, emotions resurfaced on Wednesday with the news Victoria Police were conducting a significant search for Samantha.

That search took them into the bush near Buninyong, not far from Scotsburn and the community and certainly the media, waited for her body to be found.

When it wasn't, the community went back to dealing with the unknown. Where is Sam?

Clinical psychologist Veronica Johnston told The Courier recently that people needed to be mindful of practicing self-care and seeking support in facing the ongoing complexities to play out.

"Grief comes in many shapes and sizes and the family and friends of the accused, as well as the wider community members, may also be experiencing a mixture of emotions including confusion, uncertainty, sadness, anger, and loss," Dr Johnston said.

That grieving will inevitably continue in the weeks and months ahead.

Social media has been full of posts from women across the country, who have felt compelled to run for Sam, to vent and share their thoughts and feelings about their own safety in the wake of her alleged murder.

Locally, women who would normally have taken to bush trails are slowly beginning to find the courage to get back out there.

They don't want to let this take their independence away.