Buster, the Staffordshire bull terrier, is being hailed as a hero after finding a 79-year-old man who was lost for two nights and a day at Cooks Gap.
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Police from Mudgee Local Area Command and Volunteer Rescue Association (VRA) crews from Mudgee and Gulgong were called on Thursday night after Kosta Zagas’ wife reported him missing from his home at Ridge Road. She had last seen him sitting in a chair on the rear porch at around 6pm.
Police and VRA members searched through the night.
Search co-ordinator Inspector Chris Samut said the initial search was within a radius of 3.5km of the residence, as Mr Zagas has limited mobility and was wearing slippers on his feet.
The Police Helicopter (POLAIR) joined the search on Friday morning, conducting a sweep at low range over an area of 8km radius.
Trail bikes were also used in the search.
By Friday afternoon, Rural Fire Service (RFS) volunteers from around the region had arrived to join line searches on the Ridge Road property and neighbouring properties.
By around 4pm, 10 VRA members, 28 RFS members and eight police were involved in the search, as well as SES members.
More RFS volunteers were called to continue the search on Saturday.
Neighbours walked their paddocks, checking for the missing man, and mines employees were asked to watch out for Mr Zagas while they were driving home along Ulan Road.
At 10.15am on Saturday morning, Winchester Crescent resident Donna Hartley and her friend Nina Mackay were saddling their horses when they heard Mrs Hartley’s dog Buster barking in the trees about 400 metres from the house.
Ms Mackay, a WIRES (Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Service) carer, thought Buster might have found an injured animal.
When she went to investigate, she found Mr Zagas lying on his back near a large boulder.
“Nina called out ‘It’s the missing man’. I couldn’t believe it,” Mrs Hartley said.
Mrs Hartley recognised Mr Zagas, who was a neighbour when they both lived at Lahey’s Creek.
She told him, “Hello my friend, everybody has been looking for you”.
While Ms Mackay roused Mr Zagas and administered first aid, Mrs Hartley dialled 000 to contact the ambulance and police.
She was surprised when an SES crew arrived at her property only minutes later.
“You were quick,” she told the SES volunteers.
They were equally surprised, as they had come to conduct a random property search and were unaware that Mr Zagas had been found.
“You’re not going to believe this, but he’s up the back,” Mrs Hartley told them.
Winchester Crescent is around six kilometres from Mr Zagas’ home.
Mrs Hartley said Buster had been barking constantly all morning and dashing along the fenceline, but she and her husband Greg thought he was chasing birds or rabbits.
When she and Ms Mackay found Mr Zagas, Buster was standing over him, still barking.
“Buster deserves a medal. Without him, who knows what the outcome would have been,” Mrs Hartley said.
Police have thanked SES, VRA, RFS, numerous volunteers and members of the community for their efforts.
Buster was rewarded with “the biggest bone he had every seen”, Mrs Hartley said.
