A woman's brush with death 80 years ago was largely a mystery for most of her life. But technology has allowed her to learn more about her terrifying experience.
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One of Dorothy Thomas' earliest memories are glimpses of the day she got lost in rugged bushland in Lithgow, New South Wales on November 22, 1942.
Ms Thomas was only two-years-old when her disappearance caused 'one of the largest organised searches conducted in Lithgow for a number of years,' according to the Lithgow Mercury at the time.
"I've always thought that I've remembered a couple of things. One was where I was crouching against some bricks and calling out for all my family," Ms Thomas said.
500 residents would spend hours searching for Ms Thomas in bushland behind Lithgow Pottery and towards Hassan's Walls.
According to Ms Thomas, a lot of the residents in the search party were women due to a significant world event.
"A lot of women were in the search because a lot of men were away at the war," Ms Thomas said.
Ms Thomas would be located over three kilometres away from her home in Sheedy's Gully, 10 hours after her disappearance.
'She was found by twin brothers Les and Leo Glennon, of Mort-st., and Jim Easton, of Roy-st,' The Mercury reported.
'On the mountain about two miles from her home. The mountain around her home is very rugged and is covered by a thick scrub.'
Despite being left to her own devices in the bushland with no food or water on a warm Spring day, Ms Thomas 'looked none the worse for her adventure, the only thing that seemed to puzzle her was the crowd,' The Mercury said.
Ms Thomas said the incident wasn't spoken about much by her family in the years to follow, but people from the town would recognise her from time to time.
"I remember as I grew up, people when they knew me would say, Oh, you're the little girl who got lost," Ms Thomas said.
Up until a few years ago, Ms Thomas hadn't read the original article about her disappearance.
"I never had it [a copy of the article] as a child or growing up. I found it myself, and it was just a few years ago. I didn't know when I was lost. I knew that I was two. Everyone was gone, so I couldn't ask anyone," Ms Thomas said.
"I tried Trove. I typed in the name of the paper, The Mercury. I just put from September 1942 to September 1943. Over the time that I knew I was between two and three years, old and I put a little girl lost, then popped up the article."
Reading the article for the first time would bring back memories of the day for Ms Thomas.
" It [reading the article] brought it all back, because really nobody talked about it much in the family. It did amaze me that that there was such a big search," Ms Thomas said.
According to The Mercury article, local radio station, 2LT played a big role in the search for Ms Thomas.
"I remember my mother saying how grateful they were to 2LT, because apparently 2LT did not open on a Sunday back then. They stayed open the whole day, And that was a big deal back then," Ms Thomas said.
Ms Thomas moved away from the Lithgow area when she got married in the '60s, but returned to visit family up until her brother passed away, six years ago. She now resides in Queensland.
Reidun Berntsen
Reidun is a Journalist and writer who lives in a country town 3 hours from Sydney, Australia. From a young age, Reidun has been in love with words and the infinite possibilities they bring. Stories, features and poems have been a major part of her writing career.
Reidun is a Journalist and writer who lives in a country town 3 hours from Sydney, Australia. From a young age, Reidun has been in love with words and the infinite possibilities they bring. Stories, features and poems have been a major part of her writing career.
