IN THE BUSH.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIII, Issue 27, 29 December 1932, Page 3

IN THE BUSH.

A LITTLE ADVICE. Now that the holidays arc here the following from the pen of an expert, appearing in the Sydney Morning Herald, should be of value to Hampers:— A timely publication of advice might possibly bn the means of saving suffering and even life during the holiday season, when large numbers of inexperienced peoplo “enjoy” themselves by wandering through the bush. Two persons have been lost from a kangaroo shooting party in Western Australia, and aeroplanes have been used, without success, in search for them. 'There is a strong possibility that during the • summer season other individuals and parties may be lost in the same way. The value of an aeroplane search for persons lost in the bush would be greatly enhanced if the lost persons would remember two or three simple detail. Firstly, no person ought to enter the bush without carrying matches wherewith to make a fire. Secondly, when lost, aimless wandering makes matters worse. By far the best plan for an inexperienced bushman is to sit down and wait for help, particularly if ho is within reach of water. If movement is imperative, the lost one should note the direction of the sun, and walk as nearly as possible in one direction; that is, should keep the sun always in the same direction with his course, for about hall an hour at a stretch. A change of direction should be made each half-hour, amounting to a little less than the angle subtended by five minutes on a watch, allowing for the fact that the sun is moving to the west all the time. By far the best advice to be given, how*ever, is to “stay put” as soon as it is realised that one is really “bushed.” The next thing is to send up smoke signals, and it is here that my recent experiences have suggested the necessity for advice to those who arc using smoke as a signal. There are almost always many smokes visible from the air at any one time, and one wastes much time in visiting accidental tires. A smoke signal indicating the position of a lost person should be distinctive. Two files Jit about two hundred yards apart possess this distinctiveness, and if you can impress this fact on prospective holidaymakers much agony of mind may be saved. Another point which has impressed me is that many people make a tire and not a smoke as a signal. During the daytime a clear tire is useless. It is smoke, not fire, which is readily visible from the air, and a clear tire should be avoided. The intentional nature of a smoke signal is emphasised if the smoke is made to rise intermittently, so that it appears and persists as separate “balloons” of smoke.