Shay Williamson is the winner of the third season of Alone Australia. He stayed 76 days within the bush in south-western Tasmania, a brand new file for the Australian model of the present, and the sixth-longest throughout all variations (the file stands at 101 days in season seven of the American collection).
The 30-year-old New Zealander, who spent his teenagers trapping possums within the wild for his or her fur and now works as a cattle farmer when not making bush survival movies for his Retaining It Wild channel on YouTube, beat Corinne Ooms, who tapped out after 70 days, and Murray “Muzza” James, who lasted 73 days and at 63 was the oldest contestant on the Australian collection but. Williamson spoke with Karl Quinn the day after filming the reunion particular for SBS.
Initially, Shay, let me simply say congratulations.
Oh, thanks. Yeah, I really feel fairly enthusiastic about it.
Shay Williamson (left) together with his accomplice after it was revealed he was the winner of season three of Alone Australia.
Effectively, you say that, however when your accomplice got here out to greet you on the finish you didn’t give a lot away or say so much. What was occurring for you at that second?
I used to be only a bit misplaced for phrases. I’m not a giant talker anyway. I simply wished to provide her a hug, actually. It was an enormous feeling of reduction greater than something in that second, that all of it labored out and I obtained to go house. I wasn’t determined to go, although. I used to be going to remain till I couldn’t any extra, and I used to be working my manner via 10-day blocks. At that time, I had meals till day 80, and I used to be specializing in getting meals till day 90, after which it might have been meals till day 100. However I used to be lacking the household an increasing number of each day, so the earlier the higher, in my thoughts.
Earlier than and after pictures of Alone Australia’s season three winner Shay Williamson. He lasted 76 days within the Tasmanian bush.
If you first went in, you talked about 300 days as a goal. I do know in the direction of the top you mentioned that was solely ever a motivational factor, however did you ever suppose you could possibly truly keep on the market that lengthy?
I believe if the meals had stayed the way in which it was in these final couple of weeks I might have executed it. I’d reached some extent of being sustainable on the market, which I didn’t truly suppose I’d do. However issues are altering on a regular basis in nature, and there’s no assure the meals state of affairs would have stayed nearly as good because it was. So there’s no manner of understanding whether or not that will have occurred or not.
What was the toughest factor – the bodily situations, the dearth of meals, or was it simply lacking the household?
Shay Williamson on season three of Alone Australia with prize pademelon catch.
It’s arduous to distinguish the bodily and the psychological as a result of it’s all form of linked up. The bodily situations have been actually powerful – like, they have been fairly excessive, the worst climate I’ve ever encountered, and the toll that takes in your physique as effectively. And the psychological pressure of dwelling paycheck to paycheck food-wise for that lengthy positively knocks you round. It’s arduous to place my finger on what was more durable, however lacking the household and never understanding after I’d get to go house was most likely the trickiest factor mentally to cope with as a result of it was simply an unknown, and I needed to settle for that it was out of my fingers, principally.
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Has this expertise modified the way in which you consider the bush, the setting, in any manner?
Yeah, it’s modified the way in which I take into consideration people and our connection. Earlier than I had fairly a sensible view of our place in nature. Now, I’ve obtained a bit extra of a religious one, virtually. I take into consideration the instinctual facet of issues a bit extra now; I obtained extra in tune with my instincts on the market a few instances.
I can’t actually clarify why I knew sure issues have been going to occur, however they did, issues just like the lake water. I used to be frightened about it rising a second time, after which in the future I wakened and I simply wasn’t frightened in any respect, after which the following day it went down a metre, and I knew that was going to occur. It was actually bizarre.
The Alone Australia season three forged on the SBS reunion particular.
Catching the all-important pademelon, that appears to have been a second that was pushed by intuition.
Yeah, and that was actually unusual, too, as a result of that day I used to be consuming eel gills, and usually they don’t style good, they’re form of bloody, however I used to be actually liking them. And I mentioned to the digicam, “It’s virtually like I’m craving iron”. After which that evening I obtained this large injection of pink meat, virtually like divine intervention. It was bizarre.
Are you a non secular or religious man, usually?
No, under no circumstances. In no way.
What does profitable the $250,00 imply for you?
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It should simply take the stress off. It means we will get our household the place we would like it faster, and prioritise what we worth extra, spending time with the household and never being confused about cash on a regular basis. We’ve simply purchased a home with a mortgage within the Bay of A lot [in New Zealand’s North Island], so this may lower an enormous a part of the mortgage off. It’s an enormous present to have that weight lifted.
What in regards to the bush – have you ever seen sufficient of it for some time or are you eager to get again on the market?
I’m chomping on the bit to get again out and take the household with me, ideally. I’ve most likely obtained extra motivation now to share the bush with the household. The children are two and 4 and so they already know fairly a couple of edible vegetation, they know a few toxic ones. It’s fairly cool.
You’ve simply filmed the reunion particular with the opposite 9 contestants. Doing this present is such an remoted expertise, however you all had a model of that very same expertise; it should be particular to have the ability to lastly share it.
Yeah, it’s been superior to unpack it with the others, to speak about our experiences as a result of we’re the one ones that actually perceive it on the identical wavelength as a result of it’s such a novel expertise. It’s been superior to share with them and I believe we’ll all be conserving in contact and be pals for all times.
Alone Australia is now streaming on SBS On Demand.
