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16th Oct 2019

Woman lost in Australian bush for three days rescued by old-fashioned SOS sign

Jade Hayden

“I just knew that it was my job to stay alive.”

A woman who was lost in the Australian Bush for three days has been rescued by some good old fashioned SOS signage.

Deborah Pilgrim wandered away from her campsite in South Australia’s Mount Lofty Ranges on Sunday morning.

The 55-year-old soon realised that she was lost when she couldn’t find the way back to her camping party.

“I just kept wandering and laid low at night,” she told local ABC News. “I tried to stay out of the sun and stay alive, I just knew that it was my job to stay alive.

“I thought ‘somebody is going to think I’ve been kidnapped or something’ because it’s not something I would do.”

Pilgrim decided to draw an SOS sign in the dirt in the bush, hoping that an aircraft flying overhead would spot it.

Instead, the plea was discovered on a CCTV camera by local property owner, Neil Marriott, who noticed that it had been written on his driveway.

“There was the SOS written in the ground, which wasn’t there the day before,” he said.

“So I put two and two together and called police, but by the time they were able to get out there it was dark, so they found the SOS on the ground but then they also found a hoodie jacket which obviously belonged to the lady.”

Marriott said that it wasn’t long before emergency services located the woman just one kilometre from his property.

“I’m so pleased she was able to find water because I feared the worst for her — I really did,” he added.

Pilgrim was taken to a nearby hospital. She appeared to be in good health.

Topics:

Australia,news