Daryl Floyd's brother Terry was last seen in 1975 in the Victorian town of Avoca.
A Victorian man has accused the state government of ghosting him after promising to fund a fresh search at a gold mine to find his brother who went missing over 50 years ago.
Daryl Floyd has dedicated most of his life to bringing his brother and "best mate" Terry home.
Terry was just 12 when he disappeared from the corner of Sunraysia and Pyrenees Highways in Avoca in Victoria's Central Highlands on June 28, 1975.
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A 2001 coronial inquest found that Terry was likely abducted and killed but his remains have never been located.
Floyd, who was nearly 10 at the time, went through the trauma of dressing up as his missing brother while police re-enacted Terry's disappearance in 1975.
Over five decades later, the nightmare hasn't ended.
"They're making [me] re-live it again just by staying silent," Floyd told nine.com.au.
"I find it totally disrespectful to a little 12-year-old boy and to my parents by them not answering."
And then-premier Daniel Andrews made a promise in 2017 to fund a renewed search at the old mineshaft, which is located just 500 metres from where Terry was last seen.
Floyd said there is "fairly credible" information that Terry's remains are still there.
"It's not just throwing a dart at a dartboard, there's a lot of solid information that's been gathered that Victoria Police is aware of," Floyd said.
"There's a lot of other information that leads us there, that's why we need to search this mine."
Some evidence has already been uncovered from the disused gold mine.
A small shoe which matched Terry's size and a silver necklace that looks like one he wore were found during previous searches.
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But after COVID-19 delays and a change in the Labor leadership, Floyd said the search ended prematurely and he is still waiting for the government to help.
"We had to shut the mine down. We weren't there for two or three years," he said.
Most of the search effort so far has been funded by Floyd's own bank account, donations and volunteers.
Another $7000 was donated by an "incredible" stranger who found a gold nugget while prospecting.
"That money has been put towards the mine search as well," Floyd said.
"And then they decided to call that nugget Terry's Heart of Faith."
Back in 2022, Floyd said he had scheduled two meetings with Police Minister Anthony Carbines to request the promised funding.
"He reneged on the first one. We rescheduled for the second one," he said.
Floyd met with a police media liaison instead of Carbines.
Again, he wasn't given an answer either way.
Floyd said he reached out to Premier Jacinta Allan six weeks ago and his request was again sent back down the flagpole to Carbines.
He hasn't heard a word since then.
A Victorian government spokesperson told nine.com.au that their "deepest sympathies remain with Daryl Floyd and the family of Terry Floyd".
"Any further investigation into the disappearance of Terry Floyd is a matter for Victoria Police," the spokesperson added.
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"It's not really about me. This is about an innocent little 12-year-old boy who lost his life on the side of the road," Floyd said.
"There's a chance now to find him and bring him home and lay him to rest with his parents.
"It's just an answer, yes or no, it is a fairly straightforward thing."
Floyd said he made a promise to his mother that he would bring Terry home one day.
Both his parents have died without ever knowing what happened to their son.
"We do not only this just for Terry, but there's a lot of other families out there that have loved ones that are missing," he added.
"And by doing this and continuing the fight, it gives them strength."
Victoria Police and the government have so far provided $125,000 to support Floyd's search.
A $1 million reward remains on offer for any information that leads to solving Terry's disappearance.
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