DOUGLAS Wood said this morning it was "bloody good" to be home after arriving in Melbourne to be reunited with his family after spending 47 days in captivity as a hostage in Iraq. The engineer said he had some physical ailments after the ordeal but was not feeling "especially" fragile. He said it was tough readjusting after his hostage ordeal "but we'll get there". He avoided speaking in detail about his time in captivity during a news conference which he entered humming "Waltzing Matilda". Mr Wood said he apologised to Prime Minister John Howard and US President George W. Bush for the comments he made on a tape as a hostage in which he called for the withdrawal of coalition troops from Iraq. He said he was "proof positive" that the policy of having US troops training Iraqi was successful, as he was rescued by the newly-trained troops.Mr Wood called his captors "a... holes" and said he did not know what group they were associated with. He said there were times during his ordeal that he thought he would be killed. But he said he tried to remain upbeat and "keep laughing".
"I love my family, and I knew that they would be doing everything they could," he said, his American wife Yvonne Given and his brothers Vernon and Malcolm and their wives by his side. Mr Wood arrived on an Emirates flight from Dubai landed at 5.43am (AEST) today, about 15 minutes late. Mr Wood was reunited with the brothers who worked so hard to save his life after insurgents took him hostage in Iraq.
The engineer's return comes as questions continue to be asked about the exact circumstances of his rescue by Iraqi and US forces on Wednesday - 47 days after he was taken hostage in Baghdad. The Government is backing away from its claims that intelligence played a crucial part in his recovery, which is at odds with the position of Iraqi and US troops who put it mainly down to good luck. But the Mufti of Australia, Sheik Taj al-Din al-Hilaly, who spent more than a month in the Middle East trying to help secure Mr Wood's release, is sticking with another version of events.
Asked about Sheik Hilaly, Mr Wood said he "never heard of him". The sheik says he struck a deal with Mr Wood's captors to release him on the Wednesday and that the captors were unarmed when troops raided the house in which they and their hostage were found. Defence Minister Robert Hill said it was highly likely specific intelligence - though not necessarily about Mr Wood - prompted the search which eventually led to the Australian's discovery. "All searches have an intelligence base to them," he said on Channel 9. "But whether the Iraqis had specific intelligence that the Australian, Mr Wood, was believed to be in that area is still unclear. It may be clarified in due course or there may always be an element of doubt."
Mr Wood's brother Vernon, from Melbourne, said he was delighted his sibling was arriving be back in Australia. Mr Wood's other brother Malcolm, who lives in Canberra, was expected to travel to Melbourne for the homecoming. Vernon Wood said one of their priorities was for their brother to meet Prime Minister John Howard to thank the Government for all it had done to get him released. "We'd like to get Doug to meet with Prime Minister Howard and (Foreign Minister) Alexander Downer as soon as possible," he said. "We would like to give thanks in several areas where it's due and we want to respect the prime minister and the good will of the government." No meeting has yet been scheduled between Mr Howard and Mr Wood, but the Prime Minister's office has not ruled it out.