By JOLENE OGLE
POLICE, local SES and community members have joined forces to search for 56-year-old Tewantin man Gary Tucker who was last seen on Saturday morning.
Mr Tucker’s family said it was common for him to go for an early morning walk most days, but said it was out of character for him to not return.
Mr Tucker’s daughter Casey-Lane said her dad was last seen wearing a bright green hooded jumper and cream shorts when he set off for a walk on Saturday morning (8 August) at about 8am.
“My dad goes for walks every morning,” she said.
“He usually goes around Lake Doonella and he usually goes for a couple of hours and then comes back.
“It’s not like him at all to not come back. He has no phone, wallet, keys, no water. Nothing. It’s just heart-breaking.”
Casey said she and her family still had hope that he would be found safe and alive.
“I keep thinking I’m going to walk in the door and he’ll be sitting on the couch saying what are all these people doing here,” she said.
“We’re just going to go out there and find him and pray to God he’s still alive because he’s so strong and he’s strong-hearted and I just know he will be sitting there still kicking.”
Casey, who was searching in the bush with torches until 4am this morning, said the support from the local community had been overwhelming with more than 40 people turning up on Monday (10 August) to help find her dad.
“The support throughout town is just incredible,” she said.
“I went to the local shops to get water for the helpers and the shopkeeper was loading up my car with water for free. It’s just amazing.”
Police, SES volunteers and local community members who have been organised into search teams will continue to scour local bushland for the remainder of the day.
Anyone with information that could help with the search is asked to call the police on triple zero.
