Quest Africa 2014 Newsletter 2 Intake 1 arrived on Mon 20th. Most were rather wide eyed and seemed a little nervous about what was to come. However they had little time to pause for thought as that evening each lad had to make a brief introductory speech to an assembled audience of Board members, facilitators and teachers. For some this was their first experience of being out of their comfort zone but they all managed it well. Out of comfort zones, physical fitness, bush survival, first aid, bonding and rain have been the main themes of the first 2 weeks. The Quest fitness test demonstrated, with a couple of exceptions, how good Christmas and New Year had been! It is clear that the lads need to get fit and soon, especially as most are keen to do Iron Will in early April. I am hopeful that each of them will be surprised by how fit they can get and will look back in horror at how unfit they were at the start of the course! Fitness sessions have been tough and will continue to be so. Most of the first week was spent in the bush. The terrain around Quest is tough; hilly, rocky and thorny. While navigating themselves around by GPS, they soon found themselves out of their comfort zone again. A night in self constructed survival shelters added to the discomfort. Most knuckled down and got stuck in but some found it too challenging and needed encouragement to stick it out. Most discovered how easy it is to become dehydrated and how important it is to manage their water. Comfortable beds and ample food are now probably more appreciated than they were at the start of the course. Second week was first aid week- a Pacmed course run by Mrs Sue Bryant. There was a lot to be learned both theoretical and practical. They had their exam on Friday and results have shown that all but 7 passed. Those who have failed will get an opportunity to rewrite - once only – next week. It is important to do the first aid course early on but because the guys are not fit and are finding the physical training tough some were perhaps not as receptive as they might have been. Mountain biking has begun to feature in the routine. The bikes enable them to get around a lot quicker than on foot. After an initial coaching/ practice session the group managed a 30 +km cycle through an area known as the Seven Sisters. The group as a whole seems to be coming together well and friendships are forming. The initial 19 were joined by Daniel Smith during the second week so the intake is now 20 strong. There have been a couple of lads briefly sick or with minor twists of the ankles but otherwise all are well. There has been fantastic rain over the last week. The Quest weir, which had some water in it 2 weeks ago, is full to brimming and the lads have already been swimming in it. All the dams in Quiet Waters are full. We have not experienced rain like this for a number of years. The roads in the park have been eroded and there is a lot of repair work to be done- the lads had a short opportunity to do this at the end of last week. A short stretch of game fencing was also washed away. As I write the media course, with Nigel Kuhn, is underway. There is silence so they must be concentrating well! Final preparations are underway for the second intake. They are due in next Monday and will be 24 strong. Will Randle
Posted on: Mon, 03 Feb 2014 13:16:03 +0000
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