LOST IN SCRUB

Hokitika Guardian, 28 April 1939, Page 8

LOST IN SCRUB

GIRLS’ AND YOUTHS’ ORDEAL. SYDNEY, April ffi. Two girls and two youths found their way out of National Park scrub yesterday after being lost for 30 hours. They were half-starved and exhausted; Six parties of police, park rangers, and. bu’shinen were searching for them. None of the party had anything to eat for more than 24 hours.; They were:— Aileen Britten, 18-, Jean Britten, 15, of Womerah Avenue,. Darlinghurst. John Le Breton, 19, Womerah Avenue, Darlinghurst. William Humphries, 18, Bourke .Street, Darlinghurst, < ; f-.f ‘We , were trying tb walk from ’Waterfall to Audley,” said Humphries. “We got off the track early, on Monday. As it began to get dark w e walked faster and faster but we only seemed to get deeper in the scrub. “At midnight* we were 1 exhausted so we .made a fire and decided to sit by it until daylight.” Jean Britten said:— “It was the worst night I have ever spent. i “I kept on thinking to myself that this, was. the sort \'of thing, that, hap- , pened tb people in story bboks. “My sister and I were frightened of snakes, top. “We had seen a-big one in .the afternoon.” The two youths told how in the morning they had seen the sea to the .east. . ' “We set out- to : ,,walk-in the opposite direction,” said In> Breton. “Wo. are- used to the city, and the bush scared bit at night.’? u After,--walking' several hours,', the'; party readied' a cottage. They were given directions, and shortly before 4 p.m, thby reached Watferfall. "

It was hours before many of the searchers could be recalled.

Among them were the father of the Britten girls and Le Breton’s brother.