Body of missing 95-year-old man found at bottom of roadside embankment
An elderly Melbourne man, missing in his classic car for more than a week, has been found dead alongside his vehicle at the base of an embankment.
Ronald McMaster, 95, from Toorak, embarked on a road trip to the NSW south coast in his 1967 Vanden Plas sedan on May 4 and had been missing since.
Passers-by spotted a car down an embankment at Moornapa, in the state's east, and later found a man's body, police said on Thursday.
"Ronald's death is not being treated as suspicious and a report will be prepared for the coroner," police said in a statement.
Mr McMaster had not been seen since May 4 when he was spotted driving through Rosedale on his way to a vintage car club meet-up in Bermagui, The Age reported.
His family raised the alarm when he failed to arrive in Bermagui on May 5.
Following the tragic news of Mr McMaster’s death, his family thanked the police and volunteers who had lended assistance in the search.
“We would like to express our gratitude to the Victoria Police and in particular the police at the Prahran Police Station. We have been overwhelmed by their professionalism and determination to find Ron,” the family said.
"We would also like to thank the public for their interest – in particular, to the SES volunteers who found him as well as all the other community groups who looked for Ron. We have gained much comfort from their response.”
In an earlier statement, the 95-year-old’s family described him as a "kind and generous" man who was a loving grandfather of seven and great-grandfather of two.
"Our family call him Peter Pan because he seems so ageless, he was still playing tennis at 92," his family said at the time of his disappearance.
"He is fiercely independent and has a passion for vintage cars, he is a member of two car clubs. He has participated in many club rallies with Austin A40 and Wolseley clubs.
Mr McMaster had been a vintage car enthusiast who had lived independently since his wife died in 2012.
- with AAP
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