A 40-year-old Australian woman, Michelle Pittman and her 10-year-old son Dylan went missing while bushwalking (Australian term for walking in natural areas) in the rugged terrain of the Mount Royal National Park north of Singleton on 2nd October.
The duo has now been rescued after social media posts were shared and search operations were started for them by the Police.The duo spent around 10 days in the bush and on the 11th day when they were rescued even the policemen were amazed and happy to find them alive and in a considerably good condition.
The mother has credited Bear Grylls for the “ingenious survival tactics” that helped her in staying alive in the bushes.The duo didn’t have any food in those 10 days but used the survival tips picked up from Man Vs Wild series to stay alive. They used leaves to collect water and tied grasses around the trees to mark their presence and location.
Rob Post, Hunter Valley LAC Acting Superintendent, said to the media that the duo had no food and did not eat for 10 days but found water.”They licked the moisture off plants to help keep hydrated. There were dried up creek beds where they sourced water by digging.”
“She mentioned they had watched the shows and got some tips out of that which assisted them.”
They also used leaves to collect water and removed ticks and leeches from each other.The rescue operation which consisted of 40 police officers was started after her car was found in the car parking of the National Park after 7 days of her getting lost. After that, a four-day search operation was carried out which involved 40 police officials, ambulance and emergency services.
The rescue team found out fresh footprints and grasses tied on trees which confirmed the fact that they were still alive. However, the mother and son found their way back to a roadway just after 1 pm on 12th October where they were picked up by passing police.
Inspector Andrew Steenson from NSW Ambulance, who participated in the search said to the media, “given that the search has been underway for four days, it was really good to find them in such good physical shape.”
The mother and son have now been admitted to Singleton Hospital where they are recovering from minor injuries.
