'He was angelic, just standing there': Teen found after days missing on Mount Disappointment - The Age

A short time later, he was carried into a waiting ambulance, still wearing his rescuer's jacket, by his stepfather Nathan, his mother Penny following close behind.

From the door of the ambulance, Ms Callaghan said she was "obviously immensely relieved" and thanked the hundreds of volunteers who had searched for her son.

"He's quite calm considering," she said.

Ms Callaghan said Will had communicated to them that he was confused, scared and that his body felt "a bit weird", but he was otherwise okay.

"More than anything, thank you everyone. I'm so grateful, you're all amazing. What an amazing community," she said.

"I want to be with my boy."

Will's mother Penny thanks the hundreds of volunteers, police and firefighters who searched for her son. Credit:Justin McManus

Ms Callaghan said Will was a "very special person", who deserved to go on a holiday after his ordeal.

"There are some amazing sides to autism. It is hard, but he's just so special," she said.

The moment William Callaghan was reunited with his mother after two days lost in the bush.Credit:AAP/Pool

Volunteer Ben Gibbs, from Research, found William standing barefoot in the bush, with his hands over his ears, blocking the noise of a helicopter above.

"I came up from the bottom of the mountain, there is a single track there I know quite well. I just followed that up and went off track once I got near the top and saw where the guys had tagged where they searched previously and I went a bit deeper than that," Mr Gibbs said.

Ben Gibbs, who found Will in the bush.Credit:Justin McManus

He said it was 20 minutes from the track, relatively near the summit.

"He was really angelic, just standing there."

Mr Gibbs said he tried to relax Will and speak calmly to him, before giving him some chocolate, socks and a jacket.

"I heard he liked Thomas the Tank Engine so I talked to him about [the character] Diesel.

"After he ate half the chocolate bar, I carried him out."

Acting Inspector Christine Lalor said it was "great news" and they would be providing more information later on Wednesday.

Almost 500 people in teams from the police force, SES and CFA searched for Will around the clock since Monday.

William Callaghan after his rescue.Credit:AAP

Many concerned members of the public donated their time to join the effort and police were forced to turn some volunteers away.

The mood changed at the search site about 12.30pm on Wednesday as word filtered through that there had been a potential sighting of Will in the bush.

At 12.46pm, acting Inspector Lalor confirmed it was Will.

William Callaghan with his stepfather and a paramedic after being found safe and well.Credit:AAP

Huge grins crossed the faces of volunteers and searchers when she announced the news, as friends of the family began crying tears of relief.

Police had asked the hundreds of people waiting at the search site to be quiet and not to cheer or clap in case it spooked Will.

The teenager, who taps his chest to communicate, had spent two nights in the bush.

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On Monday night, temperatures dipped toward zero degrees. The following night, the mercury dropped below 5 degrees.

On Wednesday morning, his mother described her son as a beautiful, gentle and resilient boy, and spoke of her desperate hope that he would be found safe.

"We are desperately hoping he will be found today," she told reporters.

"Sometimes being the mother of an autistic child is really tough. I have two boys with autism, Will is my oldest son and he would be considered very low functioning. He has an intellectual disability," she said.

"He is very smart in his own way, I’m feeling positive as he is quite resilient. He is very skinny ... but he eats all the time, he’s always on the move so he’s very fit.

"He’s such a beautiful person, he wouldn’t harm a fly he is very gentle."

Penny Callaghan addressed the media with her partner Nathan Ezard.Credit:Justin McManus

The teenager had never been camping or spent a night by himself.

Will is a fan of Thomas the Tank Engine, so three speakers moved around the area playing the Thomas theme tune, in an effort to draw him out.

Police encouraged people in the area to cook a barbecue, as Will loves the smell of onions and bacon. He's interested in water bottles, so police asked people to put water on their verandah or porch.

And they urged locals to open any windows and doors if they were cooking, in the hope Will would smell the food.

SES volunteers searching thick bushland for William Callaghan on Tuesday.Credit:Chris Hopkins

Authorities knocked on the doors of residents from towns and suburbs near the summit of Mount Disappointment to see if Will sought refuge in a bed or outhouse.

Searchers on foot, motorbikes and on horseback called out "Will" as they made their way through vegetation so thick that made it difficult for air units to search from above.

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https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMihwFodHRwczovL3d3dy50aGVhZ2UuY29tLmF1L25hdGlvbmFsL3ZpY3RvcmlhL2F1dGlzdGljLXRlZW4tZm91bmQtYWZ0ZXItZGF5cy1taXNzaW5nLWluLWNvbGQtb24tbW91bnQtZGlzYXBwb2ludG1lbnQtMjAyMDA2MTAtcDU1MTUzLmh0bWzSAYcBaHR0cHM6Ly9hbXAudGhlYWdlLmNvbS5hdS9uYXRpb25hbC92aWN0b3JpYS9hdXRpc3RpYy10ZWVuLWZvdW5kLWFmdGVyLWRheXMtbWlzc2luZy1pbi1jb2xkLW9uLW1vdW50LWRpc2FwcG9pbnRtZW50LTIwMjAwNjEwLXA1NTE1My5odG1s?oc=5

2020-06-10 05:04:35Z
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