The ring is identical to an eyelet from shoes worn by 12-year-old Terry Floyd when he went missing in 1975.

It could be another vital piece of information proving that Terry’s remains are in the Morning Star Mine at Bung Bong, near Avoca.

Volunteers broke a personal record in hauling out bucket after bucket on the weekend, making the most of the dry summer conditions, and approaching the end of a drive within the mine.

Related: New information surfaces in Terry Floyd case

Animal bones continue to surface, suspected because of the dumping of carcasses from a nearby abattoir.

In a Facebook post, Terry’s brother Daryl Floyd said they had about six metres of gravel to pull out before the drive would start to open up.

“So if we can do on average 60 buckets per day, around the one metre per day, over the next six days that we are at the mine shaft (2x weekends) we will have all of this gravel… out,” he wrote.

“Huge, bloody huge.”

The upper part of a child’s size six shoe was found in the mine in August last year and was handed to police for forensic testing.

It contained brass eyelets – like the one discovered on the weekend – a material only used in shoes from years ago.

Clothing fragments including a piece of cardigan sleeve and elastic from boy’s underwear were also found in the mine in September.

A silver chain necklace was found in 2016.

Related: Government chips in $50,000 to Terry Floyd search

About 30 people visited the mine site last weekend to help remove bucket after bucket of mud, one of the largest volunteer turnouts since Mr Floyd started excavating the mine in 2010.

​Terry Floyd was last seen on June 28, 1975. 

A coroner determined he was abducted and murdered, but a body has never been found.

Anyone with information can contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.