Rob Mitchell (McEwen, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

At 2 pm on Monday, a family's worst fears were realised. Whilst walking to the summit of Mount Disappointment, their 14-year-old boy raced ahead of his family and became separated from them, beginning two days of anxious wait. Today I rise to acknowledge the incredible efforts of the emergency service workers and the hundreds of volunteers who dropped everything and joined in the effort to find young lad Will Callaghan in the bush at Mount Disappointment. People were on foot, on horseback and on motorbikes, and community members drove around in cars all night, searching in the night and early in the morning in below-zero temperatures as helicopters flew above their heads. The concern that was etched on the face of his mum, Penny, was echoed throughout the community. All our local Facebook groups were abuzz with people sharing information to help with the search for young Will. People stood up, they got out and they helped in the effort because a young boy's life was in danger. This epitomises the Australian spirit. Some have said that this story is a miracle, but actually I think it demonstrates the unwavering commitment and coordination displayed by police, SES and the local community, who pulled together a topnotch successful rescue mission. The only sour point was the theft of a searcher's motorcycle, but the amazing people at Happy Belly Burgers at Whittlesea have started a GoFundMe page to help replace Chaz's bike. To Clive, I say: thank you for your generosity. The result? Well, it's really best summed up by Research resident Ben Gibbs, who said:

I am the one who stumbled across him, but everyone found him…

I hear Will is recovering well after a big feed of Macca's chips and nuggets. I'm so lucky to represent the magnificent people of McEwen. To everyone who pitched in, I say thank you. (Time expired)

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