‘Mount Miracle’ rescue teen William Callaghan being treated for minor injuries

Miracle autistic teen mountain survivor William Callaghan remains in hospital after spending two freezing nights lost in rugged bush.

Miracle mountain survivor William Callaghan will remain in hospital for the moment, his mother Penny said on Thursday, as he may have a broken foot.

The 14-year-old, who is autistic and non-verbal, spent two nights lost on Mount Disappointment north of Melbourne before being rescued on Wednesday after a massive search operation. He is in a stable condition.

Ms Callaghan said William was still being examined by medical teams, which has particular challenges as his autism causes him to resist being touched.

“He is going to potentially be in hospital for a little while because he has an insect stuck in his ear, and the ENT (ear, nose and throat specialist) is going to try and potentially remove that today,” she said.

“There are difficulties with that because he is not going to be compliant. He doesn’t understand what is going on, why people are trying to touch him and poke him and prod him.”

“He may have a broken foot, which potentially means a cast. I don’t know how he’ll cope with that,” she said.

“These are some of the issues that happen with people on the spectrum. Little issues are a big event.”

Ms Callaghan said she “can’t wait” to meet Ben Gibbs, the searcher who found William in thick bushland at lunchtime on Wednesday.

“What an amazing guy. From what I can tell he gave him the clothes off his back including his socks and his shoes. Just awesome,” she said.

William disappeared on Monday afternoon after running ahead of his family as they walked to the summit of Mount Disappointment. It was his first camping trip. He was missing for two nights in rugged terrain and freezing temperatures.

Ms Callaghan said it was tricky looking after a child with autism, and she was grappling with how much freedom she would give him in the future.

“You’re switched on all the time, it’s 24/7, you’ve got to be on alert all the time and that’s when it gets tiring,” she said.

The two day search operation ended when he was found by Mr Gibbs, who had grown up in the region and considered the area his “family mountain.”

How William was found

It was the day Mount Disappointment turned into Mount Miracle.

At around midday Wednesday volunteer searcher Mr Gibbs found William barefoot but alive and well in dense bushland near Mt Disappointment.

William had endured two nights lost in freezing conditions on treacherous terrain with no food or water and wearing just a thin hoodie and tracksuit pants.

Hopes were fading by the hour about his chances for survival.

Mr Gibbs, an experienced bushwalker who was raised in the area and knew the mountain well, was searching alone. He said he came across William in dense bush only about 20 minutes walk off the main summit track, not far from the mountain top. The area had been previously searched, but he pushed into the thick undergrowth a little deeper.

It was just a few hundred metres from where William had last been seen by his family.

"He was just about 15 metres from me, just standing there, he was really angelic, just standing," Mr Gibbs said. William had his hands over his ears, blocking the noise from a helicopter flying overhead.

"He looked in reasonable health. He wasn't shivering too bad. He didn't have socks on so I put some socks on him and a jacket. I gave him some chocolate. He ate half the chocolate bar."

“I heard he liked Thomas the Tank so I talked to him about (the show’s characters) Diesel (and) Bertie,” Mr Gibbs said, in an effort to keep the boy calm.

He carried William for a little while, but then gave him his shoes to wear as they walked out to safety. It was a short while before he could establish mobile phone reception, but called in the good news to police around 12.30pm. William’s safety was officially confirmed at 12.45pm.

“I am the one who stumbled across him, but everyone found him,” Mr Gibbs said, who had joined the search solo and hadn’t registered with police, but considered the location his “family mountain’.

About 48 hours earlier William was walking with some of his family to the summit from Blair’s Hut campground, an hour’s trek.

At 2.20pm on Monday he ran ahead up the path out of sight of his father. It was the last they would see of him. Until an emotion-filled family reunion at 1pm on Wednesday.

Amazing news!! Missing boy Will Callaghan has been located by a volunteer at Mount Disappointment. After two days missing in bushland, Will is set to be reunited with his family shortly.

We would like to thank the community for their outpour of support. 🙌 🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/QoAaPQktlN

— Victoria Police (@VictoriaPolice) June 10, 2020

William’s parents, including his mother Penny Callaghan, who hadn’t been on the trip, were finally able to breathe. A parent’s worst nightmare averted.

"I am really overwhelmed here. He is well as could be under the circumstances. He is quite calm considering," Ms Callaghan said.

"I can't imagine what he's been feeling and going through. I am just so relieved.

"His first request was McDonald's. I think he wanted hot salty food," she said.

The search effort had been enormous since Monday afternoon. More than 450 police, emergency services and volunteers spent Tuesday and Wednesday combing the state forest’s rugged terrain, with specialist crews operating overnight in treacherous conditions.

Mount Disappointment local Ben Gibbs, who found William. Picture: David Crosling

Special consideration was given to searching in a way that would encourage William, who has an intense dislike of loud noises, to reveal himself.

Police said because William was fit and capable of walking a considerable distance, they had asked local residents to put out his favourite foods Vegemite or feta cheese on their verandas so that he could access food without having to speak to anyone.

Acting Inspector Christine Lalor even asked those in nearby houses to put a barbecue on if they could, as he loved the smell of bacon and onions. Many locals obliged.

The briefing at base camp on Wednesday morning. Picture: AAP

But in the end William was found close to where he had last been seen, search and rescue squad senior sergeant Greg Paul said, though it was unclear whether he had been in the same spot the whole time.

“We think he might have been hiding from searchers,” he told Channel 9.

Sen Sergeant Paul said although conditions were very cold, William might have been aided in his survival by the dense undergrowth resulting from the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires, which may have helped him stay a little warmer than he otherwise might.

Inspector Christine Lalor said her team never lost hope of finding William alive.

“It just goes to show what can happen when everyone pulls together as a team,” she said.