Missing pair anger police

By NIGEL McNAY

A WHITFIELD man rescued yesterday after a night spent lost in rugged bushland was reprimanded by police for leaving his stranded utility.

Jai Braylock and vineyard workmate Chris Baulch split after their Toyota Hilux broke down crossing the King River on Saturday morning.

Mr Baulch, of Albury, took to the track they had just used and was found by a four-wheel-drive motorist hours later.

But Mr Braylock, 33, decided to try to walk along the river towards Lake William Hovell.

He soon became lost and had to spend the night outdoors in what police described as “tiger snake country”.

The pair had been heading to Pineapple Flat on a camping trip.

Sgt Vic Velthuis, from the Victoria Police search and rescue squad, told the men soon after Mr Braylock’s rescue that they had done most things wrong after their utility got stuck in the river.

Sgt Velthuis said Mr Braylock, who was found at 9.45am and winched to safety 15 minutes later, was lucky conditions were reasonably favourable.

“He was blessed by the weather and blessed he wasn’t bitten by a snake,” he said.

Dirty, dishevelled and disoriented, Mr Braylock said he twice saw the police air wing helicopter fly above him.

“I saw the helicopter last night,” he told police soon after his rescue.

“I hung out some washing and they didn’t see me.”

Mr Braylock said he saw the helicopter again yesterday morning, “then the next time I was in the middle of the river”.

Sgt Velthuis said Mr Braylock was clearly a reasonably fit man, as aside from being hungry he was in good condition.

He said Mr Braylock only required a quick medical check-up after the police helicopter landed at the Whitfield oval.

He rang his mother to say he was OK just before he was taken home by friends about 11.30am.

Mr Braylock was carrying sufficient water, and managed to create himself a bush bed.

“I got leaves and got the bark and put it on me and below me, and — Bob’s your uncle,” he said.

“It wasn’t warm, but it wasn’t freezing.”

Mr Baulch said the last time he saw Mr Braylock was about 9am Saturday.

He said it was about 3pm or 3.30pm when he saw a passing vehicle, the motorist calling police.

Sgt Velthuis said about 20 people, including police search and rescue, bushwalkers and the Wangaratta SES, were involved in the search.

“He went as far as he could. He got wet at one stage after falling into the river and dried his clothes, which was the right thing to do,” Sgt Velthuis said.