Christos Pittas' four children released a statement on Wednesday afternoon during the sixth day of searching for the 70-year-old.

He was last seen at Dinner Plain on Friday afternoon after going for a walk.

"Our spirits remain high in finding our beloved father, husband, uncle, brother, friend and grandfather Christos," his family said.

"Regardless of the condition he is in, we are desperate to find him for our family's peace and closure.

"We just don't have it in our hearts to walk away without him.

"We are so grateful for the local community support we have received and we can't thank the search team, police, volunteers and wider community enough for all they have done so far.

"The overwhelming amount of messages we have received from our friends and family have been getting us through this difficult time.

"We thank you with all our love.

"Our prayers are constantly with him."

The search operation has been conducted in cold conditions which at times have dropped below freezing.

Lows of -1 and 0 are forecast on Thursday and Friday.

Up to 120 people have been involved in the search operation at its peak.

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