Disagreement over 'joke'_________
13 JUNE 2002_________
By PAUL MADGWICK WESTPORT________
A prank involving women's underwear had not embarrassed 14-year-old Elon Oved into wandering off and getting lost in the bush, his tramping companions told the Coroner's Court in Westport._________
Elon's body was found near the Alfred River, at Springs Junction, on February 10, 10 weeks after he got lost during an overnight tramp to Lake Daniells.___________
He was one of 11 members of the Halswell Jehovah's Witnesses who headed into the area on December 1 last year. The death of the teen has divided the group of formerly close friends to the point where they had to be warned by police yesterday against arguing in the courthouse._________
As a prank on a church elder "prude", one of the group stashed women's underwear in his pack and when they arrived at the lake hut he photographed one of the boys wearing a bra._________
Others were photographed, without their knowledge, while urinating. The photographer, Erik Sowman, said it was just a lark that appealed to his sense of humour. Everyone, including Elon, "thought it was a great joke".__________
However, Rami Oved, a former soldier in the Israeli Army, suggested to the hearing that it had so embarrassed his son that when he went to get changed out of his wet clothes he was forced further into the bush because he was afraid of being photographed.________
Coroner Peter Roselli heard how the group drove across Lewis Pass for a two-hour easy tramp into the alpine lake.________
Elon was unsure about going because he had the flu but changed his mind. Reaching the lake about lunchtime, he and the two other teenagers spent the afternoon frolicking on an inflatable dinghy. ___________
They had a break in the hut mid-afternoon, when the underwear incident took place, and then returned to the lake until about 6pm._________
Several witnesses said Elon was laughing and having fun. His close friend, Phillip Mehrtens, 15, said he showed no signs of distress after the underwear incident._________
In fact, Elon and his older brother, Ray, were both laughing at it._________
"On the boat in the lake afterwards neither of the boys mentioned it. They both were happy and if they did have a problem with what I did they would have mentioned it," Phillip said._________
Rain started and the three of them got wet so decided to head back to the hut to get changed. Elon said he would get changed in the outside toilet because there were too many others in the hut._________
Ray Oved, 17, said the last time he saw his brother he was happy, "joking and excited because he had just seen an eel"._________
However, he also said Elon had acted strangely when he said he was going to get changed in the toilet, and he "sensed" he was not happy.
When he did not return after five minutes, two of the youngsters sneaked over to the toilet to give him a fright but he was not there.
After he had been missing for 10 to 15 minutes they reported his disappearance. Church elder Trevor Mehrtens organised the group to search the bush but, after just 15 minutes and 300m into the bush, they pulled back because they were getting disoriented. The decision was made early to call the police._________
Mr Mehrtens and the other church elder, Dennis O'Brien, both experienced trampers, said it was so flat it was impossible to see a horizon or distinguish any landmarks._________
Cross-examined, Mr Mehrtens was asked why he and Mr O'Brien did not continue to search the 800m to the river._________
"We didn't expect him to have gone to the river. We expected he would have tried to find his way back to the track or the lake, the two most obvious landmarks," he said._______
Mr O'Brien said that when the West Coast search and rescue arrived about 1am "it was like the angels had come". The hearing is proceeding.
