Wooragee CFA volunteers were relieved and thankful to play a role in finding a missing local two-year-old boy who had spent hours wandering the bush on Thursday. The two-year-old received a big hug from his older sister after being returned home by authorities, as he ventured about 1.5km from where he was last seen. Victoria Police declared the boy missing on Thursday afternoon after he was last seen wandering away from a rural property on Beechworth-Wodonga Road about 11am with two Jack Russell dogs. A major operation took place in the surrounding area near Yackandandah as local uniform police, police Air Wing and Drone Unit, SES and Ambulance Victoria began the search. Wooragee CFA captain Jeff Vogt said he had received a call from the great-grandmother of the boy, who was also a Wooragee CFA member, who informed him of the search taking place. Despite not being an official CFA operation, Mr Vogt said the entire Wooragee brigade attended to assist the well-known local family. After a search of half of the paddock where the boy was last seen, Mr Vogt said a fellow CFA member had found two dogs on his way to the property. Mr Vogt guided police to the area, finding the dogs and subsequently, the boy. “He was a good kilometre and a half from where he should’ve been through some rough and rocky terrain,” he said. “He went on a little adventure with his puppy dogs, and for a two-year-old he did pretty good.” The two-year-old was declared found safe and well just after 3pm as Mr Vogt and police brought the boy back to his relieved family. “His older sister gave him a big hug and carried him off,” he said. “We were pretty happy he was able to get back home… it’s a great outcome.” Mr Vogt said he was grateful to play his part in the multi-agency operation and reuniting the two-year-old with his loved ones. “I’m proud of my team who all dropped whatever they were doing at the time to go help a family that includes a couple of our CFA volunteers,” he said.
