Backpacker wrote letters of farewell
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The British backpacker who survived 12 days in the Australian outback wrote goodbye letters to his family, fearing he would not be rescued. Jamie Neale told 60 Minutes: "I was thinking I might die on that mountain."
Mr Neale, 19, added: "I'm not a particularly religious person but I started thinking about God and I was praying and saying, 'Surely you can move a helicopter an inch and find me.'" He survived near-freezing conditions in the bush by using bark as a blanket.
He retraced his steps in the Blue Mountains and answered questions about whether his ordeal had been a hoax. "The people in hospital said I'm going to get a lot of this criticism and people saying it was a hoax," he said. "But I've been in the situation. I know what it's like."
He threw a party this weekend to honour the rescuers who found him.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments