Australian teen missing in bush for six days rescued alive

Seventeen-year-old William, known as Will, from Morwell in Victoria was found alive on Thursday after disappearing last Friday while camping with another teenager near Stoney Creek Road in the Walhalla East area of West Gippsland, The Age reported. He had been wearing only shorts and work boots when he walked a short distance from the campsite around 4 p.m. on Friday and failed to return, prompting a search involving more than 100 emergency services personnel and volunteers, according to The Age. His mother, Elizabeth Barkley, told the newspaper her son grew scared that first night, lay down and slept, then began walking the next day. He did not see a gap in a cliff, slid down it and became stuck because his legs were sore, she said. Will stayed put, using towels he had with him to keep warm at night and drinking water from a nearby stream, surviving on little more than a packet of chips, The Age reported. On Thursday, the police air wing was conducting an aerial search of the Cowwarr area when rescuers spotted a tackle box in bushland about two kilometres east of Stoney Creek, The Age said. Zooming in, they found Will lying nearby in a creek. Flight officers winched him down and retrieved him before bringing him back to the command post to reunite with his mother, police said in a statement quoted by The Age. Barkley said she was waiting as emergency services prepared their next search area when she was told her son had been found. "They came in and told me, and I waited outside until the helicopter landed, and I saw him wave as he came out," she told The Age. "I never gave up hope, I knew in my heart he was still alive, and I just prayed to God for a miracle, and a miracle happened. So as soon as that helicopter landed, and they got him off, I gave him the biggest hug." Barkley said the first thing Will said to her was "I love you," and she replied, "You're never leaving my sight again. He's grounded for life," The Age reported. Barkley said Will escaped with just sunburn and a few scratches and was in "good health and good spirits." She credited his fitness for his survival, noting he loves football and emulates Collingwood player Jack Ginnivan during training with Morwell East, The Age said. Barkley also recalled that when Will was 18 months old he had meningococcal disease, was critically ill and had to relearn to talk and walk after losing his hearing. "He beat the odds once, so I knew he'd do it again," she told The Age.