That’s the key message for families Australia-wide who are dealing with the disappearance of a loved one.

National Missing Persons Week is running from July 31 to August 6 and aims to spread awareness for those still missing.

Ballarat families have another message for those burdened by traumatic and unsolved disappearances: always stay positive.

For many, staying together is a crucial first step to keeping faith.

This year’s campaign, run through the Australian Federal Police-sanctioned National Missing Persons Co-ordination Centre with Victoria Police, aims to draw attention to those still missing and highlight support services available for their family and friends.

More than 35,000 people in Australia are reported as missing each year and AFP Commissioner Andrew Colvin said the impact of any missing person can traumatise entire communities.

“We could fill the MCG more than four times over with loved ones left behind in these heartbreaking circumstances,” Commissioner Colvin said.

“The reasons for a person’s disappearance are many and varied; but we do know that with every missing person, there are families, friends, colleagues, and a community left behind not knowing what has become of someone they love.”

Families reeling from the disappearance of loved ones say answers – for better or worse – are the first step to recovery.

Daryl Floyd, the brother of missing Maryborough boy Terry Floyd, knows better than most the importance of maintaining hope.

Terry has been missing for more than 41 years and Mr Floyd believes his brother was murdered after being abducted from the roadside in Avoca on June 28, 1975.

Only in the last 18 months has new evidence emerged on the case, with an anonymous letter received last May describing a car sighted near the Lead Dam in Avoca that matched other descriptions of a suspicious vehicle which could have been used for Terry’s abduction.

Earlier this year, a silver chain necklace found during a previous search of a disused mine was confirmed by a retired Maryborough jeweller as “being similar” to one the two brothers purchased just months before Terry’s death.

“All we have to do is locate his remains. (I believe) this mine shaft is his final resting place, unfortunately,” Mr Floyd said.

“Closure for me isn’t possible. I need to get those answers and then you can start the grieving process.

“A lot of people don’t know what’s happened and that’s the hardest thing of all to deal with.”

Mr Floyd said it’s important to dispel any “myths” around reasons not to divulge potential case-solving information, no matter how seemingly irrelevant.

Another Ballarat family, the Govans, are yet to receive any information on the disappearance of Donny Govan, who went missing from an Echuca campsite in 2012 at just 16 years of age.

Donny’s sister Rachael said the lack of new information has left the family “in limbo”.

“Coming up in September it will be four years (since Donny’s disappearance)," she said.

“That’s four years without any information going forward. It’s definitely the hardest thing we’ve been through in our lives.

“The tiniest bit of information could help. It could be the right thing they (the investigators) need.”

“If anyone is holding onto anything, now is the time. Don’t let it wait.”

As part of the national campaign, police are reminding the public there is no need to wait 24 hours to report someone missing. A report can be made as soon as there are fears for the person’s welfare and safety, and their whereabouts are unknown.

Ballarat’s Walter Whyte, the brother of missing man Peter Thomas Whyte, said it’s important for families and friends of missing persons to be able to mourn their disappearance, but at the same time maintain hope that they may one day be found.

Mr Whyte’s brother Peter was last seen on January 9, 1986 after he told his family he would be going on a photographic expedition in the Grampians.

While he is still unsure of his brother’s status Mr Whyte has allowed himself to grieve his loss.

He was briefly given hope of closure in 2004 when human bones were discovered in the area, however, a DNA test in 2008 found the remains belonged to Frederick Laurence Goggin, who went missing from Broadmeadows in 1993.

Despite the findings, Mr Whyte said the discovery of the bones allowed him to mourn for his brother.

“I allowed myself to grieve. And it was good because it had built up over the years,” he said in an interview with The Courier in 2015.

While it’s difficult to juggle both acceptance and hope, Mr Whyte said it’s a crucial balance.

“You’ve got to do the mourning. Even though that’s difficult, do the mourning,” he said on Monday.

“That way if they don’t come back, it (the grief) won’t be ahead of you. But never give up hope. Even though it can be quite some time since that event happened, never lose hope that they may some day turn up on someone’s doorstep.”

To view Australia’s national register of missing persons, visit the National Missing Persons Coordination Centre website at www.missingpersons.gov.au where information about support services across Australia can also be found.

Anyone with information relating to a missing person is urged to contact their local police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.