A teenager survived six days in dense bushland in Victoria’s east by using a towel as a blanket to combat freezing nights and rationing a family-sized bag of chicken chips.
William, who reportedly made a large takeaway order this afternoon, is recovering in hospital after a police helicopter found him sleeping in a dry riverbed.
The 17-year-old, whose surname has not been released, disappeared on Friday while camping with a friend at Walhalla East, about 180 kilometres east of Melbourne.
His disappearance sparked an intense six-day search involving hundreds of people, including police divers, the dog squad and helicopters.
William was found sleeping on a rock in a dry riverbed by a helicopter crew who spotted his fishing tackle box about 2 kilometres east of Stoney Creek this morning.
He appeared shirtless and sunburned, with a pillow, lunch box and small table nearby.
William smiled, waved, then pumped his fist when he awoke to the sound of the police helicopter circling overhead.
His mother, Elizabeth Barkley, said it was “a miracle” he had been found.
“He’s doing fine. Everything seems to be fine,” Ms Barkley said.
“He just stayed in one spot and waited to be rescued and I’m just over the moon he’s alive.”
Elizabeth Barkley breaks down in tears while discussing her son’s disappearance. (ABC News)
William’s mother fought back tears as she spoke to the media shortly after they had been reunited in Cowwarr.
“He’s never leaving the house again. He’s grounded for life,”
she said.
“He’s not going anywhere ever again. I’m just over the moon.”
Police said William, who lives with autism, had spent days walking through extremely rugged and rocky terrain before he fell down a steep riverbed embankment two days ago.
He spent the past two days sleeping and waiting to be found.
“He woke up to the sound of the helicopter [and] gave them a thumbs up, and then they winched him to safety,” Acting Inspector Jason Benbow said.
“The search area today was something we couldn’t do on foot, it was way too steep and beyond the capabilities of any human, to be honest.”
Police said William was exhausted and unable to walk, with cuts on his legs. He also had severe sunburn to his upper body and face.
“Other than that, he’s talking to us, he’s happy, he’s smiling, he’s giving us an account of what’s happening and he’s hugging his mother and having a doughnut and water,” Acting Inspector Benbow said.
William has been taken to Latrobe Regional Hospital with his mother for monitoring.
William was last seen on Friday, about 4pm. (Supplied: Victoria Police)
The hospital’s CEO, Don McRae, said it was “extraordinary to see him so well”.
“He’s obviously a fit young man and I think that’s really held him in good stead.”
All going well, William could be discharged as early as tomorrow.
Mother never gave up hope
A huge number of people joined the search for the 17-year-old over six days, with more than 80 volunteers scouring the bush each day.
His mother never gave up on him being found, despite the fact he had little bush experience.
Police found the teenager six days after he disappeared while camping near Cowwarr. (ABC News: Lily Kristanto)
“I knew in my heart he was still alive,” Ms Barkley said.
“I could feel it. I knew he wasn’t gone. Thank God he’s such [a] fit person.”
The pair were reunited this morning when Ms Barkley happened to be at the police staging ground in Cowwarr.
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She ran to the police helicopter with open arms, embracing her son before telling him: “You scared the shit out of me.”
Ms Barkley said she was shaking and her heart was pounding when the pair was reunited.
“He said, ‘Hi Mum’, and waved at me and was so happy to see me,”
Ms Barkley said.
“To wrap my arms around him was just a miracle … my baby has come back to me.”
William went missing while on a camping trip at Walhalla East on Friday, November 6. (Supplied: Victoria Police)
“You see these stories on TV and you don’t think it can happen to you, but when you do and you find them alive, it’s just … I can’t describe the words. I’m so happy, I can’t speak properly.”
William could be seen smiling and laughing with police while sitting with his legs outside the helicopter’s side door.
Authorities said it would not have been possible to find William without the police helicopter.
“I’ve been praying for this all week. To find him while I was out here, it was such a perfect … you couldn’t write the script any better,” his mother said.
William could be seen smiling and scratching his head after his six-day ordeal came to an end. (ABC News)
Dreams of football fame
Speaking on the boundary line of the Cowwarr Recreation Reserve, Ms Barkley revealed her son had dreams of becoming a famous AFL footballer.
“[He wanted] to be famous that way, not famous like this,” she said, smiling.
“But I don’t care. He’s mine now.
“And he’s definitely never ever going camping ever [again] unless it’s in a cabin and it’s with me, and I’ll have one of those rope things that you tie to kids so they don’t wander off.“
William was located alive and assessed by paramedics. (ABC News: Lily Kristanto)
Ms Barkley thanked the volunteers who spent countless hours searching for her son.
SES incident controller Tohi Kuru was with police and Ms Barkley when news broke William had been found.
“There was just this air that came in, no-one was saying anything … we knew something was coming,” he said.
“A few minutes later we had confirmation [he had been found] … it was an awe-inspiring moment to watch that mother reunite with William.”
‘Best thing about the job’
Victoria Police Acting Inspector Jason Benbow said it was an amazing feeling when William was found.
He said William “had no idea police were even looking for him”.
“In my opinion, I think he could have survived more days; he was very fit and healthy,” he said.
Acting Inspector Jason Benbow says finding William after six days of searching is one of the highlights of his career. (ABC News: Lily Kristanto)
“It’s just amazing how he’s survived this long, through cold nights, hot days.
“There’s a few emotional police in there … this is the best thing about the job; to have this sort of result at the end.
“It doesn’t happen all the time.”
Victoria Police could be seen celebrating William’s safe return today. (ABC News: Lily Kristanto)
Source: www.abc.net.au
