Little Boy Lost –

Lost in the Bush.
A FOUR YEAR OLD WANDERER.

How a small boy, aged 4 years, contrived to upset a whole town and cause practically a cassation of business for a couple of days is graphically related by a Leanora correspondent. The story also affords another instance of the powers of the Western Australian Aboriginal as a tracker. Our correspondent writes – On Sunday morning (August 22nd) during a family picnic in the bush, a lad of 4 years, son of Mr. Bert Scott, wandered away flower hunting and could not be found by the parents, who had to return without the lad.

The boy Scott who was lost in the bush near Leonora with tracker Tommy Jones who restored him to his parents – Photo by Charles Wilson.

A Search Party at Once Went Out.

Corporal Foulkes requisitioned all the available native trackers. The whole of the cold night was spent out, and on Monday the country was scoured for miles without success. Every available man from ‘The Gwalia’ was sent out, and the mine motor cars did fine work taking food etc for the men. Drover Merritt and trackers picked up the boys tracks, which the natives followed on hands and knees. Fifty one men attended roll call at the woolshed camp 10 miles out and it was arranged that the bush was to be beaten in the rear of the trackers. Mr. Reg Millar drove back to the town, and procured fresh trackers, as the arduous work over stony country was telling on the keen sighted workers. Mr. Evans acted as despatch rider between the trackers and the beaters, and though three camps were operating everything was systematically carried out.

To Avoid: Confusion of Tracks – as the natives refuse to work if they find they have struck a cross track. The crossing alone of one stony ridge took four hours by the trackers. They found a broken flower here, or stick thrown down there, a pebble overturned – indications which took close observation to detect, even when pointed out by the tracker.

A stone was seen 10 yards off the walking line. “Boy throw this pheller stone.” –  “Boy sit alonga bush here.” – “Boy pick ’em Sturt pea.” – “Boy, he run here.” – “Get through wire fence here, come back again, get through again same place.” In this fashion they explained what they gathered from the signs, and yet to the ordinary searcher there was not the slightest indication the paddock had ever been left.

A few hurried words in native tongue to his mate, and away went one tracker half a mile, the other staying on guard over a small piece of bush thrown down 12 miles from where the lad was first missed. The tracker made for the road, finding that the lad had crossed it. Tiger and Mr. Millar’s tracker stuck hard to their work, and Tommy Jones “Boulder Tommy” was about fettled, hut would not give in. “Me find ’em boy soon” he said.

Tuesday midday, and still no news of the lad. Needless to say, the father was worn out with no rest and anxiety. Mr. Harold Beech had his men stretched out in a two mile line searching every nook. They were now in the diorite hills, 15 miles from the picnic ground. Prospectors downed tools and joined in the hunt, and spring cart loads of miners straight front the shaft and night shift, greasers and slimes plant hands with the trade mark of their various employments, joined in the search. Mr. Wauchope’s order were

“that boy must be found”

and business in town was entirely suspended. The Mayor, Mr Semken, and his motors were kept busy. The butchers and bakers sent food, and the hotels sent stimulants, as the nights were very cold. Tommy Jones, after a two mile close and trying search across rough country, cleared out on his own, crossing a creek, he saw where the boy had followed it up and had tried vainly to climb the high bank.

The Lost Boy – Photo SLWA

What Tommy saw, and the results are best told in his own words – “Boy get wobbly now, walk em this way” (indicating the action of a drunken man). ‘ I say, we soon find em now. Me right, too, I find em all right. Him lay sleep along big pellcr gum. I say. ‘You boy phellcr wake up. What you do here?’ he say, ‘Looking for my daddy.” Tommy got his horse after washing the lad’s bare feet (he had his boots under his arm), and giving the animal a drink, he placed the boy in the saddle and hopped up behind and rode to the Diorite Hotel, from where the glad news was telephoned into the distracted mother. And didn’t that party get a cheer from every woman in the main street as Mr. Beech, Tommy and the boy, with his father, sped homewards in the motor car.

The Native Tracker – Photo SL VIC

Postscript from David:  The little boy was Harold Wakeford SCOTT, born 22 April 1911 in Leonora. He lived until the the age of 74 years, he died on 6 December 1985 in Fremantle, WA and his cremated ashes were placed at the Darkan Cemetery.