Four days after going missing, an elderly man was discovered alive in some woods in Sydney’s northern suburbs.
On Tuesday morning, Ronald Weaver, who suffers from advanced dementia, was reported missing from Wahroonga, setting off a massive ground and aerial search.
Around 11:30 this morning, emergency personnel were sent to a bushland area close to Golden Jubilee Park in Wahroonga, where they discovered the 79-year-old still alive.
He was brought to Royal North Shore Hospital in a stable state and is reportedly “happy to be there.”
Hannah Weaver, who yesterday made an urgent public appeal for help in locating her husband, and Mr. Weaver have been reunited.
Mr. Weaver was discovered in “extremely dense” bushland in a location where police had previously looked, according to acting superintendent Carlene Mahoney.
She claimed that after thinking the chances of the search having a happy conclusion were at the “pointy end,” it was a relief for emergency personnel to find him safe and sound.
She said, “He was caught in the vicinity of a tree for a little length of time.
He could answer to his name and was in good spirits. He was also making progress because he could hold the hands of rescuers at the moment.
While doing a check of the region this morning, Andy Kelsey from the NSW State Emergency Service saw a “strange shape” in the corner of his eye.
He said, “On closer observation, that strange shape was Mr. Weaver.
I ran over to investigate and then called the boys together, and now here we are.
“When I was able to speak with him, I asked, “G’day, friend, how are you doing? He was good, quite lucid, and that type of thing.
Due to numerous reported sightings by locals over the past four days, it is thought that Mr. Weaver has been moving around.
Acting Superintendent Mahoney said Mr. Weaver confirmed he had spent the night at the place where he was discovered.
We assume that he has been in or close to that tree for the past 24 hours and has been moving around this region, she added.
“We went to grab Hannah, his wife, and took her down to the scene today. We were really startled and very delighted for the family.
And it was wonderful and great to see him get back together with her; he did recognize her when he arrived at the scene.
It was incredible that Mr. Weaver survived for four days, according to acting inspector Carlene Mahoney.
Police asked locals in the neighborhood of north Sydney yesterday to check their backyards, sheds, and driveways because they suspected Mr. Weaver may have sought refuge there recently from the heat of the city.
Acting Superintendent Mahoney stated, “We don’t know where he has been, and we probably won’t, sadly.
But we are confident that he is currently safe and receiving the greatest care possible.
According to NSW Ambulance Inspector Mark Hayes, Mr. Weaver received whole blood treatment on the spot.
Inspector Hayes stated that although his limbs were trapped in the tree, there were no evident physical wounds.
“We were worried about the absence of circulation… He was handled that way, and we’re hoping everything works out for him,” he said.
