Father’s emotional plea as search for Sydney teenager continues

The father of an experienced teenage hiker missing in dense Southern Highlands bushland has made an impassioned plea for support, as rescuers searching for his daughter for a sixth day remain hopeful she is alive.Lily Hooper, 18, was last seen leaving her Oakdale home in Sydney’s south-west to go on a hike through the Nattai National Park at 8am on Wednesday, remaining in contact with family through the morning. Her family raised the alarm after she failed to return by 10pm that night, with police finding her car at the start of the challenging Bonnum Pic trail an hour later.Hooper’s father called into 2SM radio on Monday morning, surprising host Tim Webster as he took calls from his breakfast show audience.“I just wanted to ring up, I’m very upset, I just want everyone in the 2SM family to cross their fingers, project energy and love, we’re going to find her today,” he said, choking back tears as he spoke.“I just want everyone to throw love and energy because we’ve got to go and find her, got to go find this kid … she’s got to be in there somewhere, mate.”The man, who didn’t provide his name, chose to “bite the bullet” after days of silence on the matter, which has drawn significant media attention as the search continues.“I just want everyone out there to cross their fingers and find her today, mate, because it’s getting too long.”Search crews from NSW Police, Ambulance, Fire and Rescue and the SES are combing through the national park as they look for Hooper, while family and friends also assist the operation. Drones and helicopters have been scouring the national park from the sky.NSW Police Chief Inspector Brendan Bernie said Hooper is an experienced bushwalker and rescuers are hopeful despite no “items of interest” being located.“We’re relying on her experience to get her through this ordeal, and we are still hoping that she will be found alive and safe,” Bernie said.“We’re treating it definitely as a search-and-rescue operation, and we suspect that Lily is out somewhere in this bushland nearby, and we’re doing our very best to locate her.”NSW SES Moss Vale deputy unit commander Nick Healey said that more than 200 volunteers have been involved in the search, including specialist members of the bush search-and-rescue team.“They have additional skills and equipment when it comes to searching incredibly arduous terrain,” Healey said.“The terrain that we have out there is incredibly tough, we’re talking cliff lines, we’re talking valleys and gorges, creeks.“No stone is being left unturned in this search.”Specialist paramedics are also on standby to provide medical support.The Bujutsu Martial Arts and Fitness Centre in Smeaton Grange, where Hooper trains in Muay Thai and mixed martial arts, shared a plea on social media, describing her as a keen and experienced hiker.“If anyone can survive a hiking accident, it’s Lily. She is one tough girl,” the post said.Get alerts on breaking news as it happens. Sign up for our Breaking News Alert.Jack Gramenz is a breaking news reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via email.Daniel Lo Surdo is a breaking news reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald. He previously helmed the national news live blog for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via email.From our partners