Backpacker survived in the Outback by copying Bear Grylls, says mother

 
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A British backpacker found alive after three days lost in the Australian Outback survived by using tips learned from watching adventurer Bear Grylls, his mother said today.

Sam Woodhead, 18, from Richmond, who vanished after going out for a run, suffered only minor injuries including sunburn before he was spotted by a search helicopter and rescued early today in Queensland, where daytime temperatures can reach 40C.

His mother, Claire Derry, 54, said by telephone from Brisbane: “I spoke to Sam briefly and he said he was hallucinating that he was leading a troop of men and having to protect them.

“He is on a drip and very weak and has lost a great deal of weight.”

The former Brighton College student, who is a long-distance runner, had only his shorts and T-shirt to protect him from the sun. He drank his small bottle of water early into his run before getting lost and night falling.

It also emerged today he had attended a week-long survival course as preparation for his application to Sandhurst. Ms Derry said: “Sam wants to go into the Royal Marines. He is a fan of Bear Grylls and has watched lots of videos on survival so had some idea of what to do.

“He went into the bush to protect himself from the sun, but it made it more difficult for the rescue aircraft to see him. Sam said that when the air ambulance found him he had never been so happy.”

The gap-year student was last seen at 5.30pm on Tuesday at Upshot Station, 80 miles south-west of Longreach in North Queensland, where he was working as a “jackeroo”, mustering cattle.

Helicopters, light aircraft and gyrocopters were deployed in the search. Rescuers are believed to have spotted the tracks he made as he jogged. He was flown back to the cattle station where he had a medical assessment before being taken to Longreach Hospital.

Ms Derry received the news he was safe on the Singapore to Brisbane leg of her flight out from the UK. She said: “The cockpit received a Telex from the federal police in Australia saying Sam was safe. When I received the news I was so happy I hugged one of the crew.” Ms Derry is due to visit Sam in hospital tomorrow morning.

His businessman father, Peter, 62, said: “This has been a true nightmare. It’s beyond our wildest dreams that it’s all over with a happy ending. I spoke to him briefly and he said he was feeling pretty good and taking on some serious liquids and looking forward to getting some rest. Sam was sunburned and very dehydrated. We think he went for a run and lost his bearings and then it got dark. He carried on moving out in the wrong direction, it was pitch black in unforgiving terrain.”

Sam’s sister, Rebecca, 21, a model, took the phone call from a family friend at 4.50am telling them the “ecstatic” news. Rebecca said Sam was “probably more nervous about mum getting there than he was about the whole thing. I’m pretty sure she will be dragging him back by the scruff of his neck to England.”

Alex Dorr, a pilot with the North Queensland Rescue Helicopter, said the teenager was lucky to survive the “unforgiving” conditions.

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