Teen survives six days lost in Victoria bushland, Digi Mart USA News (Walhalla East, Victoria, Australia): A teenager who survived six days lost in bushland in Victoria’s east has recounted how he sang John Denver songs to keep his spirits up while he desperately hoped to be found.
William, 17, is recovering in hospital after he was found by emergency services yesterday in a creek bed at Walhalla East. He disappeared a week ago while camping with a friend, sparking an intense search involving hundreds of people, including police divers, the dog squad and helicopters.
William told Channel Seven from his hospital bed in Traralgon that there were times during his ordeal when he did not think he would be found. “The nights were pretty cold.
A couple of times it was raining. Hot days.
I got sunburnt and pretty treacherous surroundings, rocks and sticks, yeah,” he said. “I didn’t think I’d make it six days.”
William said he sang John Denver’s ‘Country Roads, Take Me Home’ to keep his spirits up during the cold nights in the bush. “I started doing it one night and it made me feel ace, so I just kept doing it.”
His only food for six days was a packet of chicken-flavoured chips, which he rationed. He said he was happy to finally have a proper meal.
“I had a great sleep last night. Comfy bed, finally got some food into me and over the moon to be happy and safe with family,” he said.
Latrobe Regional Hospital CEO Don McRae said William was “in good spirits” overnight, with his mother by his side. “William has been cared for by our team overnight and is in a stable condition,” he said.
William was to be transferred to The Alfred in Melbourne for further testing and specialist review.
William went missing while on a camping trip at Walhalla East on Friday, 6 November. His mother, Elizabeth Barkley, told Sunrise she had an out-of-body experience when reunited with her son.
“Can I believe that they found him and they found him alive?” she said.
Barkley said her son was “a bit grumpy” because he was required to fast and could not have his morning coffee or McDonald’s for breakfast. She said his condition was stable “but it’s one of those things that could turn serious quite quickly if not treated and looked after properly”.
William had been transferred to the intensive care unit overnight after his blood pressure dropped due to dehydration. Barkley said he had since moved on from the John Denver songs.
“Today he’s been singing AC/DC songs,” she said.
The Victoria Police Air Wing crew that found William said it was extremely fortunate that he was spotted in the dense bushland. Senior Constable Emma Quick was aboard the police helicopter when the front seat observer saw the teenager.
“He was able to see something unusual, which is what we’re always looking for, just something that takes your eye,” she said.
Pilot Dave Wylie said the search was incredibly challenging for crews. “A lot of the areas are so thick that you can’t actually see the forest floor so even if someone was there, potentially you could fly right past them,” he said.
“If he wasn’t in the open area like he was, we absolutely could have flown right past him without seeing him.”
