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A Dunedin man who had been missing for almost two weeks has turned up safe and sound after pulling himself out of the bush yesterday afternoon.
Jon Ellison had been missing for 13 days before leaving the bush near Bethunes Gully and was spotted by a passerby about 4.30pm.
His stepfather, Murray Cumming, said the news was met with Ellison’s son jumping up and down in excitement.
“Thirteen days he was missing for — quite a saga he’s going to have to tell.”
A member of the public spotted Ellison as he crawled out of the bush. He went over to Ellison, sat him down, gave him an apple and called the police.
Cumming said the upper reaches of Lindsay Creek were very difficult country.
“When searching the creek area last Thursday, we would have finished his search downstream of Jon’s location.
“When police rang us, all they could say was ‘Got him. He has survived’.”
Ellison was transported to Dunedin Hospital and was recuperating from injuries, malnutrition and hypothermia.
“His voice is gone and we think he might have fallen over five waterfalls or banks and gotten caught in the holes.
“Very hypothermic and very malnourished, but got himself out.”
Cumming said he was a hunter himself and often read these kinds of bushland survival stories but never expected one to hit so close to home.
“It’s just awesome, it’s in the realm of unbelievable results.”
For the past two weeks, LandSAR, police, friends and family had been conducting a wide-scale search of North Dunedin, which included Mt Cargill, North East Valley, Waitati and Upper Junction areas of Dunedin.
He was last seen in Dalmore on March 12 and his car had been discovered near Chingford Park on Monday last week.
