As the birthday approaches of missing senior Frank Cabral, his family are coming to terms with the fact that he may never return to them.

However, even with this realisation they still live in the hope that he may still be alive and are appealing for anyone with information to contact them.

The 70-year-old, of Cove Valley, St. Davids, went missing on February 13, now almost nine months ago.

His sister Esther Pitcher said his 71st birthday was on Remembrance Day.

Mrs. Pitcher thought, with all the time that had passed since her brother went missing it was unlikely that someone would still have him.

But she said, people have continued to ask about him over the months. "We know that he doesn't want to be found, but at least let us know that he is safe and sound," she said.

"I was talking to someone and they suggested that I should put up more posters, but they have been out.

"A lot of people know him and if they had seen him than they would call us to let us know.

"If he is dead, okay. But we ask, where is the body? Unless he fell overboard."

Mrs. Pitcher added that many St. Davids Islanders do not think that Mr. Cabral ever left St. Davids.

"It is hard to say and although people have said they had seen him, half the time it wasn't him," she said, "We are just concerned about his safety. We don't know, he could be in a hole somewhere."

Mrs. Pitcher said it was hard dealing with the unknown.

"One time ago we would pass Standard Hardware and we would see him sitting there with a smile on his face," she said, "But what can we say now ? it's hard."

Mrs. Pitcher said P.c. Sharnita Tankard keeps the family informed and said the Bermuda Police Service searched high and low for Mr. Cabral without success. "There is nothing and I really can't say where he could be," said Mrs. Pitcher.

"His pension has been cut off because he has been missing and he has no money. Who is going to support him all this time?

"He might be somewhere down sick or dead. It is hard to say."

Mrs. Pitcher said some of the family members have accepted that Mr. Cabral, who suffers with Alzheimer's Disease, may never return.

"Some think he is dead anyway," she said, "But I had this bird, it was 24 years old ? a little cockatoo ? and you know Thursday night I couldn't sleep at all and the next day he was in his cage dead.

"So first thing came to my mind was whether it was Franky out there dead, because I just couldn't sleep at all.

"But I don't know. He ain't got no clothes."

Mrs. Pitcher said the situation reminds her of when the little girl was lost in St. David's.

"All they found was her shoe," she said, "It was round there by the AME Church.

"They couldn't find her and they just felt that she went overboard because where her shoe was ? it was right up on the bank and the water is right down below and she could have fallen.

"It was the same thing with Franky, at the Yellow Rose, and when you go out and the water is just down across from there. It is a big steep hill and it is quite dangerous and once you go down like that you can't be found anyway.

"And it goes right out to the open ocean." The family would like anyone with information to telephone them on 297-4527.