Miracle: Richard Cass (left) with his son Jamie Neale at the Blue Mountains District ANZAC Memorial Hospital, in Sydney
Posted on 07/15/2009 12:38:48 AM PDT by naturalman1975
British backpacker Jamie Neale has been found alive after going missing in the Australian bush for nearly two weeks, the Foreign Office said today.
Mr Neale, 19, had not been seen since July 3 when he left his hostel in the town of Katoomba, New South Wales, for a walk in the Blue Mountains. The Briton was discovered by two hikers exhausted and dehydrated.
Speaking from his hospital bed, he said: 'I really thought I was going to die. I could see the helicopters flying overhead but they couldn't see me.'
Miracle: Richard Cass (left) with his son Jamie Neale at the Blue Mountains District ANZAC Memorial Hospital, in Sydney
Jamie, 19, was said to be in a 'pretty poor condition' and was flown by helicopter to Katoomba Hospital, in the main town closest to the mountain range.
His father Richard Cass, who flew out from Britain to join the search, was about to board his return flight home when he was told the news.
'I was at the airport when I heard the news. I gave a great shout, "My boy's been found!" I was surrounded by Chinese women and Thais about to get on the plane,' Mr Cass said.
'He must be the only teenager in the world who goes out for a walk and leaves his mobile phone behind.'
Mr Cass said his son ate seeds and weeds which tasted like lettuce to survive, huddling under his jacket at night and waving it at passing search helicopters.
He carved Neale's name, lit a candle and buried a red rose 'for England' in an emotional ceremony before giving up the search for his son.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
The Blue Mountains are beautiful - but the Aussie bush is full of the bones of those who didn't take the dangers serious enough. If you're sensible and plan you'll generally be OK. So many aren't. And most don't get a second chance.
Good news BUMP.
I’ve been to the Blue Mountains before, and what I can tell you, you should tell it to the tourists, that the Australian land is an unforgiving and harsh environment.
Going walkabout in the Australian bush is as good a way as any to get yourself seriously killed.
Having said that, I did it when I was 26, encountered no difficulties at all, and had the time of my life. That also said, a bit of training in the Canadian bush didn’t go astray...
I could say something but they are probably conservatives on this site that don’t know how to take a joke...
Quoting Mr Cass:
When I’ve seen the mistake after mistake he’s made — I can’t say I’d kill him because it would just spoil the point of him being back,’ Mr Cass said.
‘I’m going to kick his arse. The millions that have been spent on this search, the man hours and woman hours that have gone into it ... all because he goes out on a walk without his mobile phone.’
I’m a CFA volunteer and over the years I’ve spent more hours than I can imagine looking for idiots who’ve got themselves lost in the bush.
I don’t believe in charging them. I don’t believe you can put a tax on stupidity, although if you could, you could probably use it to fund another Apollo program or another World War.
The fact is, those SES volunteers and anybody else who was out there looking are sitting back tonight feeling pretty bloody good about what’s happened. That’s the payment you get and it’s pretty fine.
I hope his father does kick him up the bum. I really hope his father manages to convey to the kid just what his mother must have gone through over the last week or so. I hope that will happen and if it does, I hope he does get the message.
A few years ago now, one of my (officially grown up) daughters decided to go on a quick trip out of the country with her friends without telling us. Wound up in Bali at the time of the second bombing. That was an awful time, and when she came home, I wanted to kill her, hug her, smack her backside, lock her in her room, buy her the car she wanted, buy her the pony she’d wanted at twelve... I just... kids do dumb things. She’d learned from hers. I hope this kid learns from his.
> I’m a CFA volunteer and over the years I’ve spent more hours than I can imagine looking for idiots who’ve got themselves lost in the bush.
Thankyou for volunteering, mate! Well done!
I took the Indian Pacific through the Blue Mountains once.It looked like *very* rugged country.Sounds like this guy is lucky to be alive.
I'd like to welcome the pommey bastard to God's own Earth, and remind him that we don't like stuck-up sticky-beaks here.
A wise man said any damn fool can learn from his mistakes, wisdom is learning from the mistakes of others.
So did he use the “build a fire, find water, make a plan, move toward safety” method like Les Stroud or did he go with the “take off your shirt, drink pee, jump around on dangerous rocks” method of Bear Grylls?
“I could say something but they are probably conservatives on this site that don’t know how to take a joke...”
There are supposed to be conservatives on this site, but some days I wonder.
“Good on ya, Bruce!”
I hate that Bear Grylls guy. He makes such a big deal about the amazing things he’s doing without ever mentioning the camera guy who has to do all the same stuff with one hand.
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