SUCH A RELIEF

RESCUERS’ DELIGHT AT FINDING LOST PAIR

RESCUERS have told of their excitement and amazement at stumbling across a Hobart father and son missing in the state’s South-West after the pair spent three nights in freezing conditions.

A fortunate encounter with a food supply stash and the construction of a makeshift shelter helped John Ward, 42, and his son Stephen, 13, survive in the unforgiving terrain.

They were found in good health by a ground search party early yesterday afternoon, not far from a walking track near Nine Mile Creek, about 15km from their camp ground.

John was treated for mild hypothermia by ambulance officers in the Westpac Rescue Helicopter, while Stephen was healthy and in good spirits.

Hope was fading for the pair as every hour passed yesterday, but wife and mother Joanne Ward never gave up hope.

She said the support of her family helped her stay positive, but it was still a harrowing wait from the time the duo were reported missing on Tuesday night.

“I don’t know that there is words, because it’s like the whole world stopped and you can see everything moving but you have no control over any of it and all you’re doing is waiting for the phone to ring,” Mrs Ward said.

“It was the longest time of my life.”

With the weather taking a turn for the worse later in the afternoon, and Lake Pedder becoming shrouded in lowlying cloud, it was fortunate the pair were found when they were.

SES Search and Rescue volunteer Louise Sales was one of two rescuers who found Mr Ward and Stephen.

“We were walking the tracks, and we came to a camp ground by the river and we saw that someone had made a temporary shelter,” Ms Sales said.

“There was a hoodie top in there and a rucksack, and we were like ‘Woah!’ so we started scouting the area.

“We continued along the track shouting, and then we heard someone shout back so we charged up the hill.”

The person shouting back was Stephen, and once the rescuers had checked with him that his dad also was alive, they radioed for the helicopter.

The helicopter took them back to Pedder Wilderness Lodge at Strathgordon onto refuel and enjoy an an emotional reunion with Mrs Ward, and from there it flew them to hospital in Hobart.

Search co-ordinator Senior Constables Chris Williams said the relatively good condition of thehe pair came as a shock.

“I’m surprised. Obviously the temperatures last night were 2C up here, it would have been colder where they were, and they’ve beenen out for three nights in wet clothing,” Constable Williams said.

“They’ve been able to protect themselves hem selves somewhat from the heavy rain … they still did become wet and damp inn that shelter, but that’s most likely saved their lives.”

The pair’s tent, car, and wet- weather gear had been found by rescuers on Tuesday at the Huon camp ground, but Constable Williams said they had done well to adapt to the conditions.

“We said all along that they didn’t have the best equipment, but they’re obviously quite intelligent, they’ve bunkered down,” he said.

Mrs Ward said she was proud of the way they handled the situation.

“When you’ve got a 13-yearold son that can think like that and be that calm, what’s not to be proud of,” she said.

Constable Williams said their fight for survival was also aided by stumbling across a food supply bucket. One of the first things Ms Sales asked the pair when she located them was how they had survived.

“They raided some bushwalkers’ food along the track, they [said] ‘ we found food in a white bucket’, I was like oh no, some bushwalker is going to be a bit unhappy about that,” she said.

She said being part of the rescue was a wonderful experience. “We were really concerned for their safety, it was not the result that we were expecting which [makes it] all the more amazing that they are alive and well after three nights in the bush, it’s pretty incredible,” Ms Sales said.

Constable Williams said the reunion of Mrs Ward with her family was a special moment.

“It was a nice moment to be involved in to be honest. To take mum back to hubby and back to her son and watch the

It was not the result that we were expecting … it’s pretty incredible

Rescuer LOUISE SALES

embrace and ... be involved in that emotion with them there, it’s fantastic,” he said.

Just hours after it was confirmed that the pair had been found, Mrs Ward could see the bright side of what could have been a very dark day.

“Sometimes bad things have to happen for good lessons to be learnt,” she said.