By KATH GANNAWAY
A COUGH led searchers to a 96-year-old man who had been missing for six hours in bush at Badger Creek on Sunday.
SES volunteer Jayden Leather was searching with police along Don Road when he thought he heard a faint cough coming from bush around 20 metres below the road.
There were tears of joy and relief as police back at the search headquarters near Badger Weir Park relayed news to concerned family members that their father and grandfather had been found.
Bahram (surname withheld), from Nunawading, wandered off from a family picnic at the popular park around noon.
His daughter, Jaleh, told the Mail the family searched for a couple of hours, with the help of other visitors at the park but when there was no sign of him called Healesville Police.
Although a regular walker, some health concerns and the fact that Bahram had lost his wife on 17 January, heightened concerns for his safety.
Police from across the valley and from Belgrave, SES units from Healesville and Upper Yarra, the police air unit and the canine unit were called in to search the area.
A resident living just near the entrance to the park told police he had attempted to speak to Bahram when he saw him heading into the bush along one of the many tracks in the area.
Jaleh said her father however did not speak or understand English.
He had walked about two kilometres and although tired, was holding up well when he was found.
Rescuers were faced with the difficult task of bringing him up the extremely steep 20-metre embankment.
SES and police members did an incredible job to bring the elderly man safely up to the road on a stretcher to a waiting ambulance.
Reunited with her dad, Jaleh told the Mail she was so glad she called police when she did.
She praised the quick initial response with the search co-ordinated by Sergeant Richard Coulson from Yarra Glen.
“I was absolutely overwhelmed and impressed with the level of response and how they reacted so quickly to get resources out here.
“It was an amazing job,” she said.
She said she was also impressed with the help given by people at the picnic ground who helped them search after word got around that Bahram was missing.
The search was a great example of local emergency services working together, but there was plenty of kudos from police and fellow SES members for Jayden’s acute hearing and follow-through which led to the best of all possible outcomes.
Bahram was taken to Maroondah Hospital for observation and his daughter told the Mail on Monday her father was dehydrated and had a sore ankle, but was otherwise well.
