Crumbs, water saved youth

By Rebecca Fraser
A BERWICK Secondary College student who went missing for 12 days survived his bush ordeal on a diet of muesli bar crumbs and creek water.
Glenn Birtwistle, 16, was found in Belgrave on Sunday night, when a woman walking her dog noticed the teenager curled up in a ball along a fire track on BelgraveHallam Road.
The year 10 student disappeared on Wednesday, 26 July after leaving home to catch a bus to school.
His disappearance sparked a fullscale police search last week.
Detective Senior Constable Andrew Smart, of Narre Warren CIU, said Glenn probably would not have survived another night in the bush, where temperatures had fallen below freezing on several nights.
Police said Glenn was disoriented and dehydrated when found.
He was later taken to the Dandenong Hospital for treatment.
“His temperature was down in the low 20s when he was found,” Det Sen Const Smart said.
“The ambulance had to stop a couple of times to restabilise him as his blood pressure fell dangerously low. He wouldn’t have survived today (Monday) if he wasn’t found.”
Det Sen Const Smart said the teenager was doing well considering his ordeal and police believed the boy had been by himself the entire time.
He spoke with the teenager in hospital on Monday but said he could not elaborate on the reasons surrounding Glenn’s disappearance.
Det Smart said Glenn had survived by collecting water from a creek in his school bag and had only eaten a quarter of a muesli bar.
Det Smart said the boy was sorry for all of the “drama” he had caused and despite the search bill set to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, police would not be recovering any damages.
Last week, Glenn’s visibly distraught parents Linda and John Birtwistle spoke of their love for their son and urged him to contact someone.
They said they had been going through “hell” and asked the public to help find their son.
“There’s nothing we cannot work through. He’s our son. We would do anything for him,” the couple said.
On Monday, the relieved parents told the media they were extremely relieved to have their son home and were extremely grateful to the woman who had discovered him, and also thanked everyone involved with searching.
Acting principal at Berwick Secondary College Rex Valena said the school was relieved Glenn had been found safe and well.
He said a number of students had been visibly upset and concerned by the teenager’s disappearance and had been placing fliers up at a number of local businesses to try to help track down their friend.