The RM of Piney thanks everyone who gave their time and assisted with the search for 84-year-old Mary Byman.

Byman went missing around 4:00 PM Wednesday while picking blueberries with a friend. Soon afterward, an extensive search was mounted. She was found alive late Sunday evening.

Piney Deputy Reeve Melanie Parent says she was moved by the emergency crews and volunteers who came to help from all across Manitoba.

“I am touched to see the response from not only our local community but surrounding communities and all over the province.”

At the height of the search, Parent says nearly 150 people were looking at one time. She commends those who helped for maintaining positive attitudes in what often seemed like a bleak situation.“I can tell you I saw a lot of people bruised, sweaty, and hot," she comments, "that last crew got pounded on by rain and thunderstorms and everyone just kept going back looking for Mary.”

CAO Martin van Osch agrees with Parent. He says the volunteers and emergency personnel worked together to form an efficient and effective unit.

“It’s nothing shy of a miracle,” he comments. “The amount of teamwork that has gone on, right to the very end, was absolutely amazing.”

Meanwhile, the Deputy Fire Chief for the Piney Fire Department says the whole ordeal was quite challenging. Ina Thomson Ruttle says it is difficult to describe to somebody who did not take part in the search.

“The search was conducted in extremely dense ground bush,” she explains, “it is not easy going. the search parties that worked their way through it should be really proud of themselves.”

According to other residents of the area, it was the Piney fire department as well as Vita EMS that attended to Byman when she was first found. Apparently, it took the team nearly four hours to carry her out of the swampy brush on a backboard.

Thomson Ruttle extends a thank you to everyone who came together to ensure Mary Byman would get out safe.