Matthew Allen has been found in bushland after he was missing for nine weeks. Picture: Police Media Source: The Daily Telegraph
THE mother of a teenage boy found after surviving nine weeks in the bush said her priority is getting her son back to good health.
Matthew Allen, 18, went missing from his family’s Westleigh home in late November, with just a small amount of cash and basic camping equipment.
He was found late on Saturday afternoon by bushwalkers who saw a teenager looking disoriented and in a bad way, and contacted police.
When rescuers got to Matthew, in dense scrub about 2km from his home, he was suffering extreme dehydration, covered in leeches and mosquito bites and had lost about half his body weight.
“He’d lost about 30-40kg,” one of his rescuers told The Daily Telegraph.
The Polair helicopter winched Matthew from the bush where he is believed to have been living alone for the past nine weeks.
He told his rescuers he had been surviving by drinking from a nearby creek, and a small amount of food he took with him.
Police said Matthew suffers from a mental illness, and had intended to go into the bush. He didn’t get lost there.
His mother Deborah today said Matthew was receiving medical care in Hornsby Hospital.
“We don’t have any comment, other than that our priority is getting Matthew well,” Mrs Allen said.
A land and air search by police and emergency services personnel located Mr Allen and he was winched out by a rescue helicopter.
He was rushed to Hornsby Hospital suffering exposure-related injuries, including exhaustion and dehydration.
Police said it was believed he was in the bush the entire nine weeks he was missing.
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