The brother of missing 12-year-old Maryborough boy Terry Floyd is hopeful his brother’s remains are within reach, as the search begins once again of an Avoca mine.
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Digging at the disused Morning Star Mine at Bung Bong Hill, where it is believed the then 12-year-old’s body was dumped more than 40 years ago, is expected to resume on Saturday.
Terry’s brother, Daryl Floyd, told The Courier on Wednesday he believes it is only a matter of months before he finds his older brother.
So far the six-year search for Terry’s body has been slow and frustrating for Mr Floyd, who has been forced to abandon the search a number of times due to money constraints.
But new information recently released on the Trove search engine has detailed news articles dating back to the 1880’s on the now disused mine, which has reignited hope for Mr Floyd.
“We haven’t been able to find any maps of the mine before, but a 1880’s newspaper article gives us that unknown,” Mr Floyd said.
“The drive we now know is 130 metres ... so we know how far to dig.”
Since 2010 more than $120,000 of his own money has been spent looking for any clues of Terry’s remains.
Last year a necklace - similar to a silver chain Mr Floyd and his brother bought from a local Maryborough jeweller in the 1970s - was discovered in the mine.
But now a new $50,000 commitment from the state government has allowed the search to continue.
Mr Floyd said the money will be used to over the coming months to clean out the 40 metre drive.
“This time around with the funding from the state government it is steadfast,” he said.
“Will it ($50k) get us totally over the line? Probably not, but we are still fundraising.
“The hope is in two to three months we might have a conclusion.”
For Mr Floyd, who still lays awake at night thinking about what may have happened to his brother, the idea of finding Terry’s remains has him determined to pump all his resources into the upcoming search.
This year the search will be upped to a weekly basis.
“To know finally we can get answers I cannot wait,” he said.
“I don’t believe in closure, you won’t ever get closure.
“But to know you can find his remains and give him a proper burial and let him rest with his family … and to know charges can be laid on those responsible, is great.”
No one has been convicted over the disappearance of Terry, despite a coroner in 2001 determining he was abducted and murdered.
The boy disappeared from the corner of the Pyrenees and Sunraysia highways on June 28, 1975.
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