Daughter thanks authorities for quickly finding her mum

WHEN Brenda Fisher realised her 78-year-old mother had wandered away, her instincts immediately told her that mum had gone off squirrel hunting.

BACK TOGETHER: Kathryn Harper (left) was found down an embankment after going missing on Monday. Daughter Brenda Fisher has paid tribute to Ipswich authorities for their rapid response. Picture: Inga Williams

WHEN Brenda Fisher realised her 78-year-old mother had wandered away from her Brassall townhouse on Monday afternoon, her instincts immediately told her that mum had gone off squirrel hunting.

It was only through the actions of police - with the help of the Safe City cameras - that Alzheimer's disease sufferer Kathryn Harper was able to be rescued from an embankment, where she'd fallen and injured herself after becoming disoriented.

Hailing from Missouri in the US, Mrs Fisher's mother has wandered away from home on several occasions since moving into the Brassall area about a year ago.

Prior to Monday, Mrs Harper hadn't ventured out of the grounds of her townhouse, but this time around she found herself in some potentially dangerous territory.

Mrs Fisher said she knew her mother had left the house when she noticed a garage door ajar early Monday evening.

"Monday was a lazy day and we all decided we were going to have an afternoon nap," Mrs Fisher said.

"I started making dinner after I woke up and I had to go into the garage to get something, and that's when I realised she was gone.

"I know her well enough to know that, in her mind, she went hunting for squirrels out in the woods.

It was what happened next that saved Mrs Fisher and her husband Peter a lot of heartache, while quite possibly saving Mrs Harper's life.

It started with the manager of the townhouse complex, who was able to use CCTV cameras to ascertain the direction Mrs Harper had initially walked off in.

"She went along the Brassall bikeway, which is covered by Safe City cameras," Mr Fisher said.

"If you are going to go missing somewhere, you couldn't pick a better place, but when we realised she was near the river we became very concerned."

Police then used the city's surveillance to track the missing woman's movements through the park.

The dog squad arrived and was led almost directly to the spot on the Mihi Creek bank where Mrs Harper fell.

A police officer picked the injured woman up out of the mud and carried her to safety.

Apart from a chipped bone in her shoulder and some scratches and bruises, Mrs Harper came out of the ordeal quite well.

She was released from Ipswich Hospital the following morning and is now taking it easy back at home.

Mr and Mrs Fisher were full of praise for everyone involved in the search.

Mrs Fisher, who only arrived in Australia from Poplar Bluff, Missouri, a few years back, said American authorities would not have responded to a report of a missing woman with the same enthusiasm as Ipswich police.

"I'm glad to be in Australia, put it that way," she said.

"I know dementia will get her one day, but I'm not ready to lose her yet."