A much-loved "happy, go-lucky" young boy has died after a fertiliser spreader collapsed on him at his family's dairy farm in regional Victoria.
Darcy Membrey, 2, had been in the machinery shed with his father, who had been working, when the implement toppled onto him on Wednesday in Naringal, near Warrnambool.
"He is just a happy, go-lucky two-year-old that loved being around the farm," his grandfather Bruce Membrey told AAP hours after the little boy's death.
"He was at the farm every day of his life. He liked machinery, fixing things. A real little country kid."
The toddler even had work shirts and shorts with stripes he would wear at the dairy farm.
A spreader attachment was being removed from the tractor when the accident occurred, Worksafe Victoria said in a statement on Wednesday.
Darcy's father bolted over to his son and yelled for help, Mr Membrey said
The men were among four people who dug the child out from under the spreader before the road and air ambulance arrived but Darcy couldn't be saved.
Despite earlier police reports, Mr Membrey told AAP no one had been driving any vehicle with the spreader attached when the accident happened.
The family is spending the night together, trying to come to grips with their loss and explain to Darcy's cousins aged four to 12 why he won't be coming home.
"When you have little kids you only get one chance. We were just saying the other day we've gone through life without a tragedy and then it was just a split second," Mr Membrey said.
"We are a very close family (but) it won't be easy."
Sergeant Matthew Laxton told AAP it appeared "to be a legitimately terrible accident".
"It is a family-run farm so many family members were present at the time," he added.
"The family are fairly distressed but they are being well supported by the local community."
