Missing league great Tim Pickup found after 20-hour walk to North Sydney Leagues Club

The son of Tim Pickup has praised those who helped find his father after the league legend went missing from his northern beaches home earlier this week and was later found fast asleep at North Sydney Leagues Club after a suspected 20-hour journey on-foot.

Tim Pickup with his grandson Archie and son Martin.

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Found fast asleep at North Sydney Leagues Club after a suspected 20-hour journey on-foot to Cammeray, rugby league great Tim Pickup was returned home safely.

He went missing from Narrabeen’s Anzac Village on Monday evening.

His son Martin Pickup spoke to the Manly Daily on Friday, praising those who assisted in the safe return of his father, who has lived with dementia since 2010.

Tim Pickup, in his playing days with Canterbury Bankstown. Picture: Canterbury Bulldogs

Tim Pickup went missing earlier this week.

A risk of later-life dementia has been outlined by Alzheimers Australia NSW for rugby players who experience multiple concussions.

Despite his father’s numerous head injuries throughout his playing career, the Fairlight father-of-four said doctors had not directly attributed the on-set of dementia to rugby league.

“They don’t have enough information or research at this point to draw a direct correlation,” he said.

The television journalist said Mr Pickup, 70, was found asleep at North Sydney Leagues Club on Tuesday evening while police helicopters and SES patrols searched bushland surrounding the War Vets retirement village.

Tim Pickup was found at North Sydney Leagues Club. Picture: Google Maps.

He said a club manager approached the exhausted and severely-dehydrated stranger, giving him water and contacting police.

Officers attended the club and identified Mr Pickup as the former Adelaide Rams CEO, who played 11 Tests for Australia and six times for NSW in the pre-State of Origin era.

He said the family had grave fears for the family patriarch on Tuesday evening.

Emergency crews while they were searching for Tim Pickup.

“I stayed upbeat and hopeful the whole time, but by 4pm on Tuesday, that was the first time I had doubts and started thinking bad thoughts. Getting that call was one of the best feelings I have ever had in my life.

“I held out hope he would find his way eventually, he’s Dad, he had to.”

He spoke of his father’s adventurous nature.
“Dad is a traveller, he is an adventurous spirit,” he said.
“One day he just went to TAFE, learned Russian and then went to live in Russia.

“After 9/11 he went to live in Afghanistan for three months; he said he hadn’t been to the Middle East since the 60s, and he wanted the chance to see it as it was.”

Martin told the Manly Daily his father said “after 9/11 it would never again be the same place for westerners”.

“He’s five foot seven but he got to the top of his sport and he was underestimated the whole way. He said once that ‘when somebody tells me I can’t do something that’s when I get interested.’”