Friday's Supreme Court decision has left Peter Ellis' brother feeling both happy and sad - happy because he believes his brother is innocent, and sad because he thinks over 30 years people have been damaged in an unnecessarily drawn-out process.
National Correspondent Amanda Gillies spoke exclusively to Mark Ellis.
Mark Ellis has had to wait through 30 winters to hear the legal words he finally heard on Friday.
"The convictions of the appellant are quashed," which was said in court today.
But it was a bittersweet celebration.
"I just wish it was Peter that was here hearing that and my mum," he told Newshub's Amanda Gillies.
His mum Lesley had been Peter's most staunch supporter.
"I'm still completely certain of his innocence," she said in an earlier interview.
Lesley Ellis died recently before her son's name was cleared and Peter himself died three years ago.
It left younger brother Mark to be the slightly-reluctant public face of the Peter Ellis saga.
"Mum was immensely proud of us all. She would've been happy, she loved us all."
On Friday morning Mark learned the Supreme Court decision. He was quietly confident and hopeful that his brother's name would finally be cleared.
"It's been such a long time... something that should've been fixed years ago, they got something completely wrong."
His brother was openly gay, quirky and flamboyant and while homosexuality had been decriminalised years before the Civic Creche allegations, Mark believes his brother was a victim of a conservative community that hadn't quite caught up with the law change.
"In today's society it would never have even gone to court, but in the climate of the time he was in the wrong place at the wrong time."
When Newshub asked Mark what he thought about some of the families still believing in his brother's guilt, he said there isn't anything he can do about it.
"There's nothing you can do about that. That is the unfortunate part about this whole saga, is that people have been hurt, they've been damaged."
Mark said he wasn't concerned about the compensation, he just wanted his brother's name cleared.
"I want his name cleared, he wanted his name cleared probably, [I] just don't want to talk about that side of it, it's not important," he said.
"I remember when he died it was on the radio he died a Christchurch Creche child abuser which he never was and it's sad that he got remembered that way."
Peter, who was once described by a Police Minister as "walking evil", died of cancer aged 61 but fought to clear his name until his final breath.
"I know I didn't do it, this isn't me. I have no interest in having sex with children," Peter said before he died.
His brother said he is upset Peter wasn't there to hear the results today.
"I just feel such a shame that he wouldn't be here - something he would've wanted, not just for himself but for the children to clear it up and know how much it meant to him," Mark said.
Mark was very proud of his brother.
"I'm proud of him immensely proud of him - he hasn't tarnished our name. He conducted himself so well throughout the whole scenario - he could have been bitter and twisted.
"I know he had his dark moments but he kept them completely to himself."
Mark will have a wine for his brother tonight and send him one last wish.
"It would've been really nice for him to have heard 'yes we got this wrong'."
