Mum, son survive 10 days lost in NSW bush
A mother and her nine-year-old son have been found alive and well after surviving 10 days in NSW bushland. Photo: Channel 7
Delirious, dehydrated and with their badly scratched legs bound up in reeds, a mother and her young son have been found alive after surviving 10 days in remote bushland in the NSW Hunter Valley.
Michelle Pittman, 40, and her son Dylan, nine, went missing while bushwalking in rugged terrain in the Mount Royal National Park north of Singleton 10 days ago.
Family members shared missing posters on social media but a search of the national park was only launched after Ms Pittman’s black four-wheel-drive was discovered four days ago.
Michelle Pittman and her son found their way back after 10 days. Photo: Channel 7
Emergency services tracked their movements through the national park with fresh footprints and grass tied around trees indicating the pair was still alive.
“The indicators were fresh so there was real hope we would find these people,” Ambulance NSW Inspector Andrew Steenson told the Seven Network.
The mother and son found their way back to a roadway just after 1pm on Thursday where they were picked up by passing police.
NSW Police Inspector Joanne Schultz said it was amazing they’d survived in the remote and rugged landscape.
“It is absolutely extraordinary – an incredible story,” she told Seven.
.@nswpolice say it's a miracle survival story mum & son found in bushland in the Hunter Valley going missing for 10 days @PeterFegan7 @7News pic.twitter.com/O3vjrIY2c6
— 7NEWS Sydney (@7NewsSydney) October 12, 2017
“There are some steep slopes and thick scrub and it drops off by about 500 metres in some parts of the search area.”
Inspector Steenson says Ms Pittman and Dylan are in “remarkably good physical condition”.
The pair had some scratches and bites but were fairly well hydrated “due to some quite ingenious survival tactics”, he said in a statement.
They reportedly used leaves to collect water and removed ticks and leeches from each other.
But after days without adequate food and water the mother and son had become delirious and reportedly removed their shoes. They’d wrapped reeds around their feet.
“The body does some strange things when put into stressful situations,” Insp Steenson said.
Ms Pittman and Dylan have been taken to Singleton Hospital for treatment.
– AAP
