Petition to demolish Amigo's Castle at Lightning Ridge after Vittorio Stefanato pleads guilty to murder of Christine Neilan

In October this year, 73-year-old Lightning Ridge man Vittorio Stefanato - known locally as 'Amigo' - plead guilty to the murder of 39 year-old Indigenous women Christine Neilan.

Though Mr Stefanato is behind bars, his story as an "eccentric and lovable" character is still being shared at Amigo's Castle, a popular local tourist attraction.

"The castle is a cruel reminder of what happened. I don't understand why the legacy of someone who did what he did should be able to live on in the town," said Lightning Ridge local Dakota Rae, who worked alongside Ms Neilan's daughter and sister Shaunna Dench to create the petition.

"Shaunna Dench was my neighbour and I've seen her go through struggles to get over this and she's been crying saying she just wants the castle gone. That castle shouldn't be open."

Mr Stefanato migrated to Lightning Ridge from Italy in 1973 and hand-built Amigo's Castle illegally on his mining claim in the 1980s from boulders unearthed while mining for opals.

In 2020, Ms Neilan's body was found with gunshot wounds in bushland near the castle with Mr Stefanato confessing to her murder two years later. Despite this, the castle remains open as a tourist attraction and was even the site of a Halloween celebration just weeks after his confession.

"It's very, very disrespectful. It's just so wrong. It showed little acknowledgement to what happened at that castle by the person who built that castle. Halloween glorifies death and this isn't a horror movie, it's a real tragedy," said Mr Rae.

The family and friends of Ms Neilan would like to see the castle demolished and be replaced with a memorial garden in memory of Ms Neilan who Mr Rae describes as "bubbly," "full of life" and "no trouble to anyone".

"For almost two years the family of Christine Neilan went restless days and nights searching and pleading for answers and it was until this year Vittorio Stefanato confessed to killing her," he said.

"An Indigenous woman killed on her own land deserves better than a small wooden cross hidden in vegetation and forgotten while people cluelessly drive past to visit Amigo's castle to hear the legacy of a man and to hear about how good of a builder he was.

"It's time for Christine's story to be told. She is the one who should be remembered, not him."

Ms Neilan, a mother-of-four from Gulargambone, moved to Lightning Ridge in late 2019 and quickly became a beloved figure in the small community.

"It didn't take long for the community to embrace her. She was friendly to everyone around her and you'd never see her angry or in a bad mood," said Mr Rae.

"She used to walk around town with her dog, she was always smiling and happy and when she was around her nephews and nieces they were all so happy. I can't see how anyone could want to hurt her."

In just a few days since its creation, the Change.org petition has already garnered almost 200 signatures - a significant number for a remote town of just 2,200 people.

"I knew Christine, she was a beautiful soul with love for all she met. I still can't believe this horrible monster took her life and took her away from her family, children and grandchildren," said Kristy Kerr, one local who signed the petition.

"Someone as evil as Amigo should not be able to use her resting spot as a tourist attraction, let's knock it down."

Mr Rae said demolishing the castle and creating a memorial for Ms Neilan would not only help her family and community heal from her tragic loss, but would send a message of hope to Indigenous people around the country.

"What we're doing is solely for Christine, in her memory, but she's not the only Indigenous woman to be murdered and forgotten about," he said.

"And I hope by putting her story out there we'll show people can't just brush things off as yesterday's news. It may be yesterday's news to some people but for that family, for Christine's family, that's their reality every day."

"I hope it inspires other people to stand up and say we're not going to be forgotten about."

Mr Stefanato will face Dubbo Local Court for sentencing on February 10, 2023.

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