Daryl Floyd has resumed his search for his missing brother Terry, who he believes was murdered in 1975 and his body dumped in a mineshaft in the Victorian town of Avoca.
Mr Floyd and two helpers attended the mine at the weekend and removed a 160 foot ladder system.
He plans to use the ladder system in another shaft which he hopes to excavate in coming months.
“We’re basically starting again,” Mr Floyd said.
“This is a huge exercise, a mammoth, mammoth job.
“With the first shaft it was only going to be a two or three month exercise.
“It turned out to be a lot harder and deeper than expected.”
Mr Floyd believes his brother’s body was dumped in the mine by a known local paedophile.
The search of the first mine shaft did not yield results, and Mr Floyd is now certain the second shaft will contain his brother’s remains.
Terry was last seen at the Sunraysia and Pyrenees highway intersection near Avoca on June 28, 1975.
Mr Floyd said the search for his brother, who was 12 when he went missing, was physically and mentally draining.
“It is exhausting,” he said.
“It’s frustrating when you know this is the resting place for Terry and there’s no assistance to get it done.
“We’ve got the technology and the manpower, it’s just the finances that stop us from getting this done.”
Mr Floyd received a state government donation late 2011 for the dig, but has largely had to fund the excavation himself.
“I don’t want to find Terry at the bottom of this mine shaft,” he said. “But the information I’ve been told is that this is where he is.
“There are other areas where people say he’s buried, but there’s not enough evidence.
“What we need is that one big donation, someone who wants to come on board and get this over the line for us.”
Anyone wishing to donate can contact Mr Floyd on 0402 125 551.
