Youth Vanishes In Bush - And Walks to Safety

For two foll days and a night, civilian and police searchers combed the mountainous and heavily-bushed country around the Dun mountain in quest of Graham Batchelor, 19, of 165 Rutherford street. Graham went missing near the old Rocks Hut while tramping with two friends, N. S. Newton and G. J. Gardiner, sixth formers at Nelson College. In the two days in which he was missing, the search was gradually intensified to the stage where a full scale search was to have been commenced on the third day. Before that, however, Graham walked out of the bush on to the property of Mr Allan Richards, on the Maungatapu road, Pelorous.

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On this page we reproduce a map of the area in which Graham went missing and, from what information we were able to gather, have plotted his course. This is by no means an accurate plot, for the terrain was difficult. He was on the wrong side of the river when he heard the motor-bike that guided him to the Richards's home. The key to the map is: 1, the old Rocks Hut from which he disappeared; 2, it is believed that it was the Mahana Greek he followed in the belief that it would take him to the Maitai; 3, where searchers first found signs of his course; 4, where he heard the sound of the motor-bike and swam the river to safety; 5, the Richards's farm.