It has been less than 24 hours since news broke that teen bushwalker Lily Hooper had been found alive.

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ACM's Southern Highland News was one of many media organisations to press 'publish' on a headline celebrating the outcome after an eight-day search.

I wrote that headline for the mastheads I work across in NSW. Nine minutes later I had to publish a second headline. Lily was not alive; she had been found dead at the scene.

I live not all that far from where Lily went missing in Nattai National Park in NSW's Southern Highlands. All week as helicopters and planes flew overhead I would pause and hope that they had found her. I woke up every morning thinking 'that was a cold night for Lily to be out there'.

I am not alone in this. I know the entire community has been holding Lily and her family in their hearts this week.

I feel so sad. I drove to the command post on Tuesday so as I was writing the story yesterday I could very clearly picture the scene unfolding - her family given a miracle only to have their worlds shattered, again, minutes later.

When a story like this is breaking there is an adrenaline rush. However, there is still room to be human. I wrote the........

© Canberra Times