Australia AUSTRALIA - 4YO AUGUST (GUS) Missing from rural family home in Outback, Yunta, South Australia, 27th Sept 2025

[jepop]

ABC put out an article about Gus, about 10 hours ago. (Doesn't mention the late night quiz phone call)

Sounds as though the family told the investigators about the mines and/or asked them to search the mines that they recently searched.


But they indicated the decision to search them had followed conversations with Gus's loved ones.

That came out in discussions with family, and [as] part of the inquiry we have to eliminate all potential areas," Assistant Commissioner Newitt said.

Gus has been gone for 63 days, and multiple searches have yielded no clues

The disappearance of Gus Lamont is one of those events that have a seismic impact on public consciousness: they distress, disturb, upset and unsettle. This week six mine shafts were searched, providing no further clues in the case.

www.abc.net.au

RBBM.
I read Assistant Commissioner Newitt as quoted a bit differently.

I think given what SAPOL said in their public update just prior to the mine shaft searches, it's more likely police went to the family with the results of the drone footage analysis and discussed the identified mine shafts and the area in which they are located with them. Jmo

Conjecture; part of that convo might include checking in with family concerning any prior knowledge of the shafts and gathering any potentially useful info concerning a proposed new expanded search area in and around them. This convo may have helped inform the decision to go ahead and include the search in the name of due diligence.To my mind something along those lines would be indicative of good investigative practice whilst being respectful and inclusive of the family. Jmo

Whatever the content of that conversation may have been, I would be looking at it as informing the investigation rather than as a direct request from family to search the shafts which was then acquiesced to by investigators. The latter carries a perception of the family 'dictating the narrative' or direction of the investigation and I don't think that is what Assistant Comm Newitt is saying as quoted throughout the ABC report. Moo

 

[SouthAussie]

RBBM.
I read Assistant Commissioner Newitt as quoted a bit differently.

I think given what SAPOL said in their public update just prior to the mine shaft searches, it's more likely police went to the family with the results of the drone footage analysis and discussed the identified mine shafts and the area in which they are located with them. Jmo

Conjecture; part of that convo might include checking in with family concerning any prior knowledge of the shafts and gathering any potentially useful info concerning a proposed new expanded search area in and around them. This convo may have helped inform the decision to go ahead and include the search in the name of due diligence.To my mind something along those lines would be indicative of good investigative practice whilst being respectful and inclusive of the family. Jmo

Whatever the content of that conversation may have been, I would be looking at it as informing the investigation rather than as a direct request from family to search the shafts which was then acquiesced to by investigators. The latter carries a perception of the family 'dictating the narrative' or direction of the investigation and I don't think that is what Assistant Comm Newitt is saying as quoted throughout the ABC report. Moo

Yes, that makes sense. I thought a while after I posted that maybe it meant they did this search in conjunction with the family - inclusive of them. Because we had heard that they said the mine search was a result of the analysis.

 

[jepop]

I wonder when those mines were mentioned. Probably takes the police a little while to decide to search and pull the resources together, depending what those resources are currently working on. Maybe a week or two or three? Because it is a recovery mission.

And this phase is outside what they considered the most likely areas - which I think was up to an expanded 5km from the homestead.

imo

For sure, that all makes good sense Imo, especially because the shafts are outside that 5.5 km radius of the on foot search perimeter.

But as with post above, moo I believe it was a matter of the mines being IDed via expert analysis of the drone footage taken by Task Force Horizon in Oct, rather than family or others mentioning them at some some earlier point. That's based on SAPOL's public update last week just prior to the search and Asst Comm Hewitt's statements in the ABC report just linked. Jmo

 

[jepop]

Firstly, I know it's already been questioned, but I wonder if the Fleur he mentions is connected the the neighbouring Tiver Station, aka Fleur Tiver...

Secondly, his comments along the lines of nobody is looking except for two people, him and Fleur - I feel like that's so sad, but also lovely of him to continue to search, and to try to bring attention to it on national radio.

He wants to form a group of volunteers to help search for Gus - I wonder, if a group of volunteers were formed, would the family allow them on the property? Has this already been addressed and I've forgotten?



"That came out in discussions with family..."

I would like to know when this came out in the discussions with family? I'm sure I won't get an answer, but I do find it quite strange and interesting. I would have thought it would be brought up in the initial phase, not one to two months later.

And, also it's so strange because it was mentioned by locals to reporters about the mineshafts in the beginning. Wasn't this discussion had between police and family at some point in the beginning? Can't imagine it taking two months to set up this latest search.

So many questions.

I don't think we have anything from police or locals ( via media,) stating that the existence of these specific mine shafts (those subject to the recent search) were known to locals and the family earlier. Certainly general local knowledge of mining history in the area and mine shafts being out there was reported by various media. And moo if mine shafts were present within the established on foot search perimeter, I cannot see why they would not have been checked. Possibly there were none in that area. Likewise, I guess I assume police would have paid attention to local knowledge re mine shafts within that initial established search area and locals and family would have been forthcoming with what they knew... Jmo

 

[Serononin]

Firstly, I know it's already been questioned, but I wonder if the Fleur he mentions is connected the the neighbouring Tiver Station, aka Fleur Tiver...

Secondly, his comments along the lines of nobody is looking except for two people, him and Fleur - I feel like that's so sad, but also lovely of him to continue to search, and to try to bring attention to it on national radio.

He wants to form a group of volunteers to help search for Gus - I wonder, if a group of volunteers were formed, would the family allow them on the property? Has this already been addressed and I've forgotten?



"That came out in discussions with family..."

I would like to know when this came out in the discussions with family? I'm sure I won't get an answer, but I do find it quite strange and interesting. I would have thought it would be brought up in the initial phase, not one to two months later.

And, also it's so strange because it was mentioned by locals to reporters about the mineshafts in the beginning. Wasn't this discussion had between police and family at some point in the beginning? Can't imagine it taking two months to set up this latest search.

So many questions.

BBM

I wonder if he thinks that Gus is somewhere else?

 

[essareem]

BBM

I wonder if he thinks that Gus is somewhere else?

Hmm, that's a possibility!

Imagine if @BreakingNews hadn't of heard that tidbit on the radio, we might have never known about this!

Well, I hope Bob, whoever he is, gets a chance to share his story a little more.

 

[statt#1]

Gus wasn't found in any of the searched mines. In fact, there are no reports of evidence that Gus was anywhere near any of those mines. Other than a call to LE with a report that Gus is missing, absolutely no other evidence of Gus having walked off of that dirt mound in to the remote outback has been found.

 

[Ellery84]

Hmm, that's a possibility!

Imagine if @BreakingNews hadn't of heard that tidbit on the radio, we might have never known about this!

Well, I hope Bob, whoever he is, gets a chance to share his story a little more.

Let’s hear it for @BreakingNews for being true to their moniker, and the real MVP! We appreciate you @BreakingNews for bringing us the hot tea! ️

 

[Dotta]

---

It certainly sounds that way. IF this fellow is Bob Sharrad and he is referring to Fleur Tiver, I would assume he is aware of the recent mineshaft searches. I know academics can sometimes be a little quirky, but he seemed quite lucid during the call. Well... he was trying to enlist volunteers (from NSW?) at 2:30am in the morning, but he did sound genuinely concerned. It's quite a statement to suggest that Gus is still alive. We'd love it to be true, but how? And where would Bob be looking? Did he get permission from the Murrays to make a public plea for volunteers?

I transcribed the conversation from ABC radio, if anyone's interested. Thanks to spiritualdreaming for providing the date.

ABC Overnights Program
2am early morning, Thursday 28th November
Starts around the 25-minute mark on my desktop interface
Presenter: Michael Pavlich [very patient and polite person imo]

Michael: How many noses does a slug have?
Bob: I’ll go with four.
Michael: You are correct.
Bob: Now, this is my first time ringing this number, this quiz line, and you’re based in NSW, is that correct?
Michael: Nah, actually, we’re based in Melbourne.
Bob: Okay, okay, ‘cause I’m in Adelaide, and I’m up late because I’m actually planning to head off early tomorrow morning. I’m actually trying to put out a call for some volunteers to come help me look for someone. [Interjection regarding second quiz question, which Bob gets correct]. I’m trying to recruit an army of volunteers to go and help look for a lost boy.
Michael: Okay…
Bob: His name’s Gus Lamont and there’s only two people looking for him - that’s me and a lady called Fleur. It’s been in the news. It’s a sheep station up near Yunta, which is on the border of NSW and SA. I’m sure lots of your listeners have been hearing. Nobody’s up there looking for him. He’s been lost for a little while now. But he’s alive. I know he’s alive. Fleur knows he’s alive. We need people to look for him because no one’s looking for him. Everyone thinks there are lots of people looking for him, but there’s nobody looking for him.
Michael: Okay, okay, look Bob, we’ll take your details, and thank you for that, and thank you for looking. Thank you for calling in mate - we really do appreciate it.

Curiouser & Curiouser

 

[Dotta]

"Gus has been gone for 63 days, ​

and searches of mines, dams and scrub​

have yielded no clues.​

The disappearance of Gus Lamont
is one of those events that have a seismic impact on public consciousness:
they distress, disturb, upset and unsettle.

'People ask me about it a lot,
so I do think it has captured national attention',
said Nicole Morris,
who two decades ago founded the Australian Missing Persons Register,
an online record of the nation's missing and lost.

'When we do have a missing child,
people react very emotionally,
as you would,
because you sort of relate it back
[and think],
'What if that was my child?' "

Gus has been gone for 63 days, and multiple searches have yielded no clues

The disappearance of Gus Lamont is one of those events that have a seismic impact on public consciousness: they distress, disturb, upset and unsettle. This week six mine shafts were searched, providing no further clues in the case.

www.abc.net.au

 

[Serononin]

It certainly sounds that way. IF this fellow is Bob Sharrad and he is referring to Fleur Tiver, I would assume he is aware of the recent mineshaft searches. I know academics can sometimes be a little quirky, but he seemed quite lucid during the call. Well... he was trying to enlist volunteers (from NSW?) at 2:30am in the morning, but he did sound genuinely concerned. It's quite a statement to suggest that Gus is still alive. We'd love it to be true, but how? And where would Bob be looking? Did he get permission from the Murrays to make a public plea for volunteers?

I transcribed the conversation from ABC radio, if anyone's interested. Thanks to spiritualdreaming for providing the date.

ABC Overnights Program
2am early morning, Thursday 28th November
Starts around the 25-minute mark on my desktop interface
Presenter: Michael Pavlich [very patient and polite person imo]

Michael: How many noses does a slug have?
Bob: I’ll go with four.
Michael: You are correct.
Bob: Now, this is my first time ringing this number, this quiz line, and you’re based in NSW, is that correct?
Michael: Nah, actually, we’re based in Melbourne.
Bob: Okay, okay, ‘cause I’m in Adelaide, and I’m up late because I’m actually planning to head off early tomorrow morning. I’m actually trying to put out a call for some volunteers to come help me look for someone. [Interjection regarding second quiz question, which Bob gets correct]. I’m trying to recruit an army of volunteers to go and help look for a lost boy.
Michael: Okay…
Bob: His name’s Gus Lamont and there’s only two people looking for him - that’s me and a lady called Fleur. It’s been in the news. It’s a sheep station up near Yunta, which is on the border of NSW and SA. I’m sure lots of your listeners have been hearing. Nobody’s up there looking for him. He’s been lost for a little while now. But he’s alive. I know he’s alive. Fleur knows he’s alive. We need people to look for him because no one’s looking for him. Everyone thinks there are lots of people looking for him, but there’s nobody looking for him.
Michael: Okay, okay, look Bob, we’ll take your details, and thank you for that, and thank you for looking. Thank you for calling in mate - we really do appreciate it.

Oh, I somehow managed to miss the part where Bob says he thinks that Gus is alive! In that case I would assume he subscribes to the abduction theory, which is very interesting. I wonder where exactly he wants to search?

 

[quiz]

Keep going even after the discouragement
An answer is within one way or another

Still don't understand, the sheer size of the farm/estate that no agricultural machinery cultivating harvesting, no watering, and such dry land with small amount of sheep. Yet it has been said two of the farm occupants were 10 km away attending to sheep.....

Why?

 

[quiz]

Trapdoors

 

[statt#1]

It certainly sounds that way. IF this fellow is Bob Sharrad and he is referring to Fleur Tiver, I would assume he is aware of the recent mineshaft searches. I know academics can sometimes be a little quirky, but he seemed quite lucid during the call. Well... he was trying to enlist volunteers (from NSW?) at 2:30am in the morning, but he did sound genuinely concerned. It's quite a statement to suggest that Gus is still alive. We'd love it to be true, but how? And where would Bob be looking? Did he get permission from the Murrays to make a public plea for volunteers?

I transcribed the conversation from ABC radio, if anyone's interested. Thanks to spiritualdreaming for providing the date.

ABC Overnights Program
2am early morning, Thursday 28th November
Starts around the 25-minute mark on my desktop interface
Presenter: Michael Pavlich [very patient and polite person imo]

Michael: How many noses does a slug have?
Bob: I’ll go with four.
Michael: You are correct.
Bob: Now, this is my first time ringing this number, this quiz line, and you’re based in NSW, is that correct?
Michael: Nah, actually, we’re based in Melbourne.
Bob: Okay, okay, ‘cause I’m in Adelaide, and I’m up late because I’m actually planning to head off early tomorrow morning. I’m actually trying to put out a call for some volunteers to come help me look for someone. [Interjection regarding second quiz question, which Bob gets correct]. I’m trying to recruit an army of volunteers to go and help look for a lost boy.
Michael: Okay…
Bob: His name’s Gus Lamont and there’s only two people looking for him - that’s me and a lady called Fleur. It’s been in the news. It’s a sheep station up near Yunta, which is on the border of NSW and SA. I’m sure lots of your listeners have been hearing. Nobody’s up there looking for him. He’s been lost for a little while now. But he’s alive. I know he’s alive. Fleur knows he’s alive. We need people to look for him because no one’s looking for him. Everyone thinks there are lots of people looking for him, but there’s nobody looking for him.
Michael: Okay, okay, look Bob, we’ll take your details, and thank you for that, and thank you for looking. Thank you for calling in mate - we really do appreciate it.

Thank you for this.

If Bob thinks Gus is alive, well now, that'd throw a wrench in to things. If I were investigating this puzzle, I'd surely want to speak with Bob.

 

[LookingForClues]

"Gus has been gone for 63 days, ​

and searches of mines, dams and scrub​

have yielded no clues.​

View attachment 627457

The disappearance of Gus Lamont
is one of those events that have a seismic impact on public consciousness:
they distress, disturb, upset and unsettle.

'People ask me about it a lot,
so I do think it has captured national attention',
said Nicole Morris,
who two decades ago founded the Australian Missing Persons Register,
an online record of the nation's missing and lost.

'When we do have a missing child,
people react very emotionally,
as you would,
because you sort of relate it back
[and think],
'What if that was my child?' "

Gus has been gone for 63 days, and multiple searches have yielded no clues

The disappearance of Gus Lamont is one of those events that have a seismic impact on public consciousness: they distress, disturb, upset and unsettle. This week six mine shafts were searched, providing no further clues in the case.

www.abc.net.au

Thanks for sharing this, @Dotta.

This an excellent article with details about the search and many photos. A couple short videos focus on showing the landscape too. It provides good details about the history of the area. They also talk with experts about the trauma experienced by the family and the larger community when someone is missing.

 

[RedHaus]

He’s been lost for a little while now. But he’s alive. I know he’s alive. Fleur knows he’s alive.

RS&B&Colored BM
Thank you for transcribing Bob's radio call-in.

This bit is the most important aspect of his call.

How do Bob and Fleur KNOW Gus is alive? And if Gus is alive where on earth are they looking for him on their own?

Bob was 'heading out' early that day to continue searching for Gus, asking for volunteers to join.

But if that search entailed going to other properties or transient communities perhaps, how would they expect anyone to fess up?

Just so odd, really. How two civilians think they can find Gus alive on their own?

And maybe a secondary important detail, I presume, is the Murrays and Lamonts are not also part of this search. Bob did say it was just he and Fleur, right?

Why would that be? Maybe one branch of Gus' family is hiding Gus for his safety (my original theory I posted way back). Or maybe they know Gus is not alive.

As an OP said, I hope LE is talking to Bob.

IMO.
ET: fix grammar

 

[KBlackRabbit]

If he knew something for certain he should speak to police.

It sounds like his own wishful thinking and not something he certainly knows.

 

[Sarahlou]

Definitely sounds like wishful thinking and nothing more IMO. Nobody can know he is alive unless they took him or knew who did.

 

[CaitLion17]

from first hearing about this to now 60+ days missing, this has this has william tyrell vibes which worries the hell out of me. I really hope they find Gus soon so we can know what happened to him! It scares me knowing he vanised without a trace

 

[essareem]

If he knew something for certain he should speak to police.

It sounds like his own wishful thinking and not something he certainly knows.

We don't know whether Bob has or hasn't spoken to police.

We don't know what Bob knows, or doesn't know.

All we have so far is one snippet from a radio quiz.

Also, I used to listen to some of the night time quizzes, somewhat against my will, while AM radio was the only form of entertainment when I was in the middle of nowhere - the hosts almost always politely cut off callers if they wanted to talk about anything other than the quiz. So, hopefully sometime soon Bob has a chat with a more appropriate member of the media, if he wants to get his message out there.