While the official search for Chris Pittas, the Greek-Australian grandfather who went missing in the Victorian Alpine area of Mount Hotham on 13 May, was downscaled after more than a week in the face of snow and difficult weather conditions, searches are, weather permitting, specialist search and rescue teams will still be looking for him.
Senior Sergeant Doug Incoll of Bright Police Station was one of the first on site to begin the search for Mr Pittas said that while not much more could be done, the search for Mr Pittas would be carried out trained teams when the weather allowed.
“I was there from the get-go. There is no doubt in my mind he is up there. It is a terrible tragedy for the family, the Greek community, for everyone. It is a reminder of how quickly a misadventure can happen,” Snr Sgt Incoll told Neos Kosmos.
Mr Pittas was last seen by a witness taking a walk on Muster Drive on Dinner Plain in the Mount Hotham area looking for emus.
“He (Mr Pittas) was pretty adventurous and interested in flora and fauna. He was only dressed in white runners, jeans and a hoodie when he went out. I think he got bamboozled as he had not been here before, it was near dark and he may have become disorientated.”
Snr Sgt Incoll said the terrain into which Mr Pittas had walked into was very steep and had very dense bush. The missing man was not prepared and not aware of how quickly conditions change in high alpine country
When people get lost, instead of staying in one place, Snr Sgt Incoll said they tended to walk downhill and Mr Pittas could well have got off the track he was on in the fading light.
Over the next seven days, over 500 people were involved in the search that covered 2,700 km on foot. As specialist teams from a number of agencies were deployed to cover particularly difficult and dense terrain, members of the public covered easier ground. In the air, helicopters and drones were used to look for the missing man. Police officers came from all over Victoria and searches were also conducted on motorbikes and horseback.
Snr Sgt Incoll said Mr Pittas’ disappearance was most likely due to misadventure.
“You need to check the weather before you go out. Make sure you are well dressed, you have a GPS, compass and maps of the area. Carry a whistle and phone. You cannot assume there is phone coverage so also have an EPIRB (emergency position indicating Radio Beacon) and first aid. You need to be self-sufficient for everything,” he advised.
“Also make sure your family knows where you are going. Fill in your details in the Trip Intention books on your walks. When you are lost, stay where you are and wait for the rescue.”
He said these measures were needed in all times but especially at this time of the year when conditions were more extreme.
He dismissed as media speculation 2020 reports linking the disappearance of four other people who went missing over the past year within a 60km area that included Mount Hotham, Mount Buller, Mount Stirling and Wonnangatta Valley. The remains of two of the missing persons, Russell Hill and Carol Clay who went missing in March 2020, were found in bushland near Dargo in November 2021.