Announcement Details 3

Outward Bound Report I was very privileged and surprised to receive a scholarship to attend an 8 day Outward Bound Masters Discovery Course. I really didn’t know much about Outward Bound except that it would be very physical, so I was unaware of what I was getting myself into. I knew the more physically fit I was before I went to Anakiwa the better off I would be so I began running to build my fitness. I was pleased I had done this because it helped me cope with the physical challenges that lay ahead. On the 3rd September I arrived at Picton Ferry Terminal to meet the other 13 people in my watch (MacKenzie 561) and our instructors Tim and Jim – wonderful young men who spent the week teaching and guiding us to work as a unit. After introductions, we were asked to get out of our jeans, into warm clothing and good footwear. From there we stowed our luggage onto the launch and boarded a 40ft cutter, then learned to row and sail for the rest of the afternoon. We then put our luggage in our 14 bed watch and were asked to get into our PT (physical training) gear and meet back on the wharf in 10 minutes. From there, we rowed the cutter to it’s mooring 100mtrs off the wharf and had to jump out and swim back to shore. This was my introduction to Outward Bound. From there, it was one activity after another with not a lot of time to think (except when trying to get to sleep at night!). Over the course of a week, I learned to row, sail, rock climb a 40 metre natural schist rockface, sea kayak, roll my kayak and safely wet exit from it, do a 20 metre high ropes confidence course, tramp up a mountain, spend 2 nights in the bush alone, run the “Outward Bound Marathon” – 12 kms in under 2 hours along the Queen Charlotte track, sleep in weird and wonderful places but not necessarily comfortable places, as well as many other tasks involving working effectively together as a team. My biggest challenges were swimming and dipping in the freezing cold ocean. With my team’s support I was able to accomplish the swims with team members swimming close to me so I could hold their shoulder when I needed to. I learned to wear more layers of clothing as it would take me approximately 2 hours to warm up every time I was in the ocean. I was also challenged by not having a bed to sleep on for 5 of the nights on Outward Bound. The ground became harder the more I slept on it. I really appreciated my comfortable bed when I got home. The thing I enjoyed most was the opportunity to meet 13 other wonderful people as well as 2 special instructors and get to know them very well over the week. At many times I had to fully trust one or two members of my watch with my life as I carried out some of the activities. For example, when rock climbing, one person was belaying and the other was a back-up safety person while I climbed. If they had not done their job correctly, it would have put my safety at risk and vice versa when I was belaying for someone else. So trust was built within our watch and that built great unity amongst us. It was a privilege to be part of such a great group of people, everybody having something to contribute to the group, whether it be humour, strength, organisational skills or encouragement. Outward Bound claims that you will be impelled into experiences that are physically, mentally and emotionally challenging. They intend to push your limits, take you outside your comfort zone and help you conquer your fears. This was certainly my experience and I can take what I have learned back to my home and work place. My attitude to taking on a task or challenge that I feel I may not be capable of is now different. I am able to tackle any task given to me, whether it be individually or with the help of others around me. I would like to thank Outward Bound and Camp Quality NZ very much for providing this opportunity for me to attend the course. I probably would not have considered doing this otherwise. But I would now highly recommend the course and encourage people to attend if the opportunity comes their way. It is a great course that will extend you as a person and develop you into a stronger, more confident character. Debra Maheno, CQ South

Outward Bound Report

I was very privileged and surprised to receive a scholarship to attend an 8 day Outward Bound Masters Discovery Course. I really didn’t know much about Outward Bound except that it would be very physical, so I was unaware of what I was getting myself into. I knew the more physically fit I was before I went to Anakiwa the better off I would be so I began running to build my fitness. I was pleased I had done this because it helped me cope with the physical challenges that lay ahead.

On the 3rd September I arrived at Picton Ferry Terminal to meet the other 13 people in my watch (MacKenzie 561) and our instructors Tim and Jim – wonderful young men who spent the week teaching and guiding us to work as a unit. After introductions, we were asked to get out of our jeans, into warm clothing and good footwear. From there we stowed our luggage onto the launch and boarded a 40ft cutter, then learned to row and sail for the rest of the afternoon. We then put our luggage in our 14 bed watch and were asked to get into our PT (physical training) gear and meet back on the wharf in 10 minutes. From there, we rowed the cutter to it’s mooring 100mtrs off the wharf and had to jump out and swim back to shore. This was my introduction to Outward Bound. From there, it was one activity after another with not a lot of time to think (except when trying to get to sleep at night!). Over the course of a week, I learned to row, sail, rock climb a 40 metre natural schist rockface, sea kayak, roll my kayak and safely wet exit from it, do a 20 metre high ropes confidence course, tramp up a mountain, spend 2 nights in the bush alone, run the “Outward Bound Marathon” – 12 kms in under 2 hours along the Queen Charlotte track, sleep in weird and wonderful places but not necessarily comfortable places, as well as many other tasks involving working effectively together as a team.

My biggest challenges were swimming and dipping in the freezing cold ocean. With my team’s support I was able to accomplish the swims with team members swimming close to me so I could hold their shoulder when I needed to. I learned to wear more layers of clothing as it would take me approximately 2 hours to warm up every time I was in the ocean. I was also challenged by not having a bed to sleep on for 5 of the nights on Outward Bound. The ground became harder the more I slept on it. I really appreciated my comfortable bed when I got home.

The thing I enjoyed most was the opportunity to meet 13 other wonderful people as well as 2 special instructors and get to know them very well over the week. At many times I had to fully trust one or two members of my watch with my life as I carried out some of the activities. For example, when rock climbing, one person was belaying and the other was a back-up safety person while I climbed. If they had not done their job correctly, it would have put my safety at risk and vice versa when I was belaying for someone else. So trust was built within our watch and that built great unity amongst us. It was a privilege to be part of such a great group of people, everybody having something to contribute to the group, whether it be humour, strength, organisational skills or encouragement.

Outward Bound claims that you will be impelled into experiences that are physically, mentally and emotionally challenging. They intend to push your limits, take you outside your comfort zone and help you conquer your fears. This was certainly my experience and I can take what I have learned back to my home and work place. My attitude to taking on a task or challenge that I feel I may not be capable of is now different. I am able to tackle any task given to me, whether it be individually or with the help of others around me.

I would like to thank Outward Bound and Camp Quality NZ very much for providing this opportunity for me to attend the course. I probably would not have considered doing this otherwise. But I would now highly recommend the course and encourage people to attend if the opportunity comes their way. It is a great course that will extend you as a person and develop you into a stronger, more confident character.

Debra Maheno,
CQ South