EVEN as police launch a campaign to let people know it is never too soon to report a missing person, Daryl Floyd is trying to persuade the premier it isn’t too late to uncover the truth behind one of the region’s most notorious disappearances.

Mr Floyd is hoping new information and the support of his local MP will convince authorities to help him excavate a mine shaft in which he believes lie the remains of his brother Terry.

Terry disappeared in 1975 aged 12, while trying to hitch a lift from Avoca to his home in Maryborough. 

Mr Floyd has spent years excavating the mine at Avoca, near Ballarat, in search of Terry’s body.

“I’ve found numerous things that suggest that that’s where Terry remains and now I’m asking the Victorian government to come on board and get this completed,” he said. .  

The federal member for Indi, Cathy McGowan, recently wrote Premier Daniel Andrews on behalf of Mr Floyd, who lives in Rutherglen. 

A state government spokesperson told the Bendigo Advertiser on Monday that the premier had asked Minister for Police Wade Noonan to respond to the request. 

“He will be doing so very shortly,” the spokesperson said.

The Australian Federal Police are hoping to raise the profile of cases like Terry’s next week as they launch a public information campaign for the 2015 National Missing Persons Week.

But the campaign, ‘follow your instincts,’ also challenges popular misconceptions about missing persons cases – including the assumption that all have tragic ending.

Last year 1406 people were reported missing in Western Victoria, which includes Bendigo. Of those,1383 were located by police.

An AFP spokesperson said the ‘follow your instincts’ campaign was designed to reduce the number of missing persons cases in Australia.

"On average, 35,000 people are reported missing to police in Australia every year – that’s one person every 15 minutes," the spokesperson said. 

“Common myths to be highlighted through the 2015 campaign include the fact you don’t have to wait 24 hours to report someone as missing and adults, too, can be reported missing.”