|
|
|
|
 |
||
 |
| |
||||||||
That’s my boy |
||||||||
Cfn Tim Johnstone’s mum Leanne and her partner, Jonathon Morrison, became disorientated after setting out for what was meant to be a 20-minute bushwalk on March 11. Cfn Johnstone, 85 Tpt Tp, said he received a call from his distraught sister, Amanda, when the couple failed to show up for work two days later. “I made some phone calls to try and work out where they might have gone,” he said. He coordinated with a family friend, leading to the discovery of the missing couple’s campsite. The Army vehicle mechanic then flew to Tasmania to help authorities with the search. He and his sister rummaged through the family home for clues and found several maps and information on a computer. “Once we put them all together we found there were two maps missing so we had an idea what sort of area they were going to,” he said. Joining the authorities in the field, Cfn Johnstone identified a possible lead. “We found tyre marks going one way on a track where we thought they may have gone. I knew what type of tyres they had and thought it was them,” he said. “The search and rescue helicopter then found the vehicle about 3km down the track.” The vehicle was searched for further clues, and evidence suggested the couple had travelled light for what was meant to be a short hike. Searchers correctly guessed that a nearby cave was the couple’s destination, but they found the cave had collapsed. A mine rescue team was called in but Cfn Johnstone was confident his mother was not in the mine. Fears began to arise that the couple had fallen down any number of abandoned mine shafts and, with inclement weather forecast, Cfn Johnstone described the situation as grim. Searchers then checked the nearby river, and found signs that someone had passed through the area. Exhausted from lack of sleep, food and water, Cfn Johnstone returned to the field command post while rescuers continued to scour nearby ravines. Just as light was fading on the fourth day after the couple had become lost, the helicopter found them. Exhausted, they had set up camp in a clearing by the river and were winched to safety. Ms Johnstone and her partner were suffering mild hypothermia and had been without food for four days. She said her son’s Army training, common sense and local knowledge directly attributed to them being found. “I am very proud of my son, and have no doubt that he saved our lives with his level-headedness in testing times, his attention to detail and resourcefulness,” Ms Johnstone said. |
