NIGHT SPENT IN OPEN

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28270, 7 May 1957, Page 19

NIGHT SPENT IN OPEN

Bible Class Party Lost On Walk (New Zealand Press Association) DUNEDIN, May 6. Forty-four boy* and girls of the St. Clair Presbyterian Bible class spent Saturday night in rugged, scrub-covered hill country at the back of their camp at Tirohanga. near Wylie’s C. ossing. Farmers, police, and aircraft combed the area and the missing youngsters were found in two parties yesterday n.orning Noone was injured, although all were tired ind hungry and some showed signs of exhaustion. The youths and girls, whose ages ranged from 13 to 21, si ♦' out from the Bible class camp on a hike towards the Lee stream aqueduct about 2 p.m. on Satur- ■ day. They were expected to re-. turn at 5.30 p.m. Darkness fell before they coula make their way I back to a road. They were several miles from the camp and it was too dark to begin tramping their I way through the rough country. They decided to stay where they i were. A search party was fiurriedly organised, but about 3 am. the search was abandoned until daybreak. About 7.20 a.m., Mr H. Skilling, the Otago Aero Club’s flying instructor, and Constable C. R. Brown, of Mosgiel, took off in an Auster. They spotted 20 of the party in the Mount Hyde area and prepared to lead them to the Hindon road. About an hour later, Mr Peter Bevin, flying a top-dressing aircraft, sighted the remainder of the missing campers near the Lee stream. They made their way. to the Outram bridge and returned to the camp about 10 a.m. The party first sighted walked to a point on the Hindon road.