An Australian man who only wished to be referred to as Matthew, has been reduced after a week in the wilderness. While he was able to survive out in the wild it was his saxophone playing that alerted rescuers to his position.
Matthew, a 50-year-old Australian man was rescued on Friday, May 15, after a week out in the wilderness Taiwan. He reportedly disappeared in the mountains near Taitung after he had an argument with his wife. He had very little on him at the time, Matthew claimed he had no food, proper shoes, or electronic devices out in the wild as per PEOPLE.
Matthew had to use his wits to survive for several days. He searched for water and sought shelter in caves, all of which, no doubt, helped keep him alive in what would otherwise be deadly conditions. “I spent a lot of time praying,” Matthew told reporters. While it seemed that he had nothing on him which would aid in his rescue, Matthew had brought his saxophone along with him, something which he used to get the attention of rescuers.
Matthew was found thanks to his saxophone playing
His friend explained that Matthew had played the saxophone while out in the wilderness in order to help the rescuers find him. While it’s certainly unconventional, the sound of a saxophone would be hard to mistake for anything else so, in reality, it was a pretty genius move on Matthew’s part.
His smart-thinking paid off pretty quickly as rescuers were able to locate him from the smooth sounds of his sax. They used drones and located him the day after he was reported missing; however, due to heavy rainfall and unstable terrain they were not able to go and retrieve him for several days. The rain did provide Matthew with drinking water though and the cave prevented him from suffering from hypothermia. Food was also dropped off to the stranded man via drone.
The Taitung County Fire Bureau had received a report that an Australian national was missing in the mountains on Monday. The Australian Department of National Affairs and Trade also assisted in the rescue of Matthew.
Finally, when it was safe enough, rescuers ventured out on foot to retrieve Matthew from his predicament. He was brought back home on Friday after surviving several days on airdropped food and rainwater. “It’s a miracle. Thank you, Taiwan,” Matthew said when speaking of his rescue.
Matthew has since been reunited with his wife and does not intend to venture off to the mountains again anytime soon. Evidently his time in the wilderness gave him plenty of time to reflect and refine his saxophone skills too.
