Re: Is the Story of Lost Bushwalker Jamie Neale A Hoax?

annedavies — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 03:46:20 -0000

According to information from authorities in the UK, Jamie Neale has a Duke of Edinburgh award and was a very experienced hiker.

According to those who know him:
At school "he had a reputation as a resourceful young man", and "blitzed the stage of his Duke of Edinburgh award during which he learned bush survival skills and had to find his way out of Epping Forest in Essex". Although "he was lost in the forest, he made it back to safety in record time".
Apparently, he was also lost in Snowdonia, but found his way out. (I was lost in Snowdonia with three others at the age of 13 on a school trip, but we found our way out without fanfare - and we'd never been on a trek before.)

It is also said that "he had an unusually high tolerance of the cold".

Given all of the above, this smells very fishy to me. Added to which, tourists regularly "get lost" in the Australian bush or desert and are paid handsomely for their stories when found. It's not at all surprising that people are sceptical.

We watched the 60 Minutes interview. A really pathetic interview by Tara Brown. No basic questions regarding exactly how he kept warm, remained unscratched, and decided on which berries he could eat, let alone any probing questions. My feeling, more than ever, is that this was a well-planned stunt.

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Re: Is the Story of Lost Bushwalker Jamie Neale A Hoax?