General News
1 July, 2025
Community mourn missing boy half-century on
On Saturday, with the support of a hundred-strong crowd, Daryl Floyd stood in the same spot, in the same moment, that his brother was kidnapped and later murdered a half-century ago.
The unsolved disappearance of Terry Floyd on a drizzly evening in 1975 has haunted Daryl, his family, and the community for 50 years.
On June 28, the community came together to commemorate Terry’s life and the life of his mum, Dorothy Floyd, who died “of a broken heart” 12 years later to the day.
“People keep saying it’s not every day of 50 years, but it’s 50 years you live it,” Daryl said.
As the sun set and the winter chill arrived Daryl laid a wreath at the spot his brother was last seen, at the time of day he was there, in an emotional and symbolic moment of remembrance.
“We’ve all endured this. Everyone is affected by this,” Daryl said.
It’s a profound loss that sneaks up on Daryl, it’s always present, a constant reminder of his missing brother.
“It started to hit home last night,” he said.
“Here I am getting some logs putting them on the open fire and that was exactly what Terry and I was doing 50 years [ago] to the day.
“It just brought back those brilliant memories but at the same time that eery feeling that he’s no longer with us,” he said.
In the decades since Terry’s disappearance, Daryl has spent his life trying to find his brother’s remains and bring those responsible to justice.
It’s an effort that’s been carried by a groundswell of community support over the years. A quantity so large Daryl said only a small portion was seen on the day.
“This whole journey that we’ve been on, all your support, all the well wishes we get, it absolutely means the world to me. It shows Terry was really loved and really cared for and we are going to continue to do that. Hopefully we get that opportunity to bring him home,” he said.
Retired detective Charlie Bezzina has continued the investigation after seeing Daryl had essentially been left on his own.
In the time since he said they’ve unearthed new evidence, found around five new witnesses, and corroborated an eye witness who has since passed away.
“We’ve got enough evidence there to be able to charge the culprit but I can’t do it as a private investigator. It’s left now to the Victoria Police,” he said.
According to the ABC, earlier this month Victoria Police submitted an updated inquest brief to the coroner. The previous coronial inquest was in 2001 which found Terry was abducted and murdered, although no-one was charged and no remains were found.
“They’ve elevated it but they’ve got to a stage they won’t tell us why they can’t proceed with it. That’s where the frustrations grow,” he said.
Adding to these frustrations is the need for funding to fully excavate a mine, just five kilometres from where the boy was last seen, where Terry’s remains are believed to be.
“We’ve got nowhere else to look. We’ve got credible information the remains of a 12-year-old innocent boy are in the bottom of that mineshaft,” Mr Bezzina said.
Among the community thanked was the team above and below ground who helped excavate parts of the mine so far.
Among them was Nathan Ward, alongside many others, who want to see closure for Terry’s family — to bring an end to this 50-year-old mystery.
“Just being here to support Daryl and hopefully get a message out to State Government to continue funding the mine search for us, as they promised they would, allowing … us to continue down in there and hopefully bring some sort of result back,” he said.
While they were in darkness, surrounded by waist high muck, Toni Hobson and Lillian Iles were helping above ground with cooked meals — including scones.
“We felt that our contribution would help them and cover a little bit of cost,” Ms Iles said.
The story of Terry Floyd and his tragic loss hit home for the pair who have young boys in their own life
“He never grew to be a man ... I don’t think any family should lose a son or a daughter,” she said.
Their contribution is one example among many of the community’s generosity which inspired the Terry Floyd Foundation.
“The tremendous support we get is overwhelming,” he said.
“We wanted to give back to the community in the same way they’ve given to us.”
Since then the foundation has created a positive outcome of Terry’s legacy by improving children’s lives.
A plaque and memorial rose garden, which commemorates Terry and his mum, was also unveiled outside the last place he visited — the Avoca Post Office.