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What a fantastic experience..
A funny thing Steve, we had a similar experience about a week ago.
We found a Green Lorikeet on the ground outside the shack with blood streaming from his right nostril and looking very disoriented. The dried blood is just visible on the RH side of his beak. At first sight we doubted he would make it through the night.
He was quite dazed and content to just sit wherever he was put, that included on or in the hand, arm (as per the pic), or as we finally settled in a covered box (nest like).
We watched over him for around a day and a half, trying pretty much the same techniques you had, but to no avail, he wouldn't even lick water from his beak. Finally on the second day he started stretching his wings and we cut a branch for him to sit on which he happily stayed on for some hours (uncaged BTW).
Towards the afternoon of the second day he started stretching his wings and we took him outside after he became active on hearing what I assume were his parents.
He attempted to fly from a couple of feet above ground, but his path was all downhill, so we put him a little way up a small tree, thinking the parents might tend him there.
After a few hours he took to the air, this time successfully and flew off, coming back a few minutes later chirping as if to say farewell.
From what I have read he looks to have been young (feathers on the breast are yellowish on adults), around 2/3 of his full sized species likely feeding from his parents as was your bird, I suspect he flew the nest a little too soon and nose dived in to the ground.
You're right in letting him go, birds don't belong in a cage and it's nice just to have some interraction with these wonderful creatures. I still can't get over how calm and content he was spending time with and being handled by us.
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