Wellington College School Training Course

 

Neill Lunnon'S LETTER

During a week long service, challenge and leadership trip in South Africa involving 30 pupils and 4 staff, we were hugely grateful to be able to experience a 24 hour survival training exercise in the Wilderness National Park, two hours from our base in Port Elizabeth.

Our group consisted of 16 boys and 14 girls, all aged 14/15 and none of the pupils were aware of the experience that was coming their way before we arrived. The initial welcome was a good way for the leaders to introduce themselves and to give us a brief description of the activities over the following 24 hours. The first impression of the leaders was hugely reassuring as they were not only a very pleasant and supportive group but also vastly experienced and clearly experts in their fields.

Our group was separated into 4 teams (wind, fire, water and earth) and our leaders were assigned to each team. We started with some ice-breaking and trust games in order to bond the group together and to stimulate discussion as to what were the important features of the the team and how working together was an essential part of a successful survival experience. We were then given 3 demonstration talks showing us how to light and build a fire, how to collect and purify water and how to build a shelter. Collecting filthy water in condoms proved an interesting experience as did using a tampon as tinder to light a successful fire.

The remaining hours of light were used by each team of 8 to build a shelter capable of holding all members of the team and providing a warm, dry and comfortable sleeping area for the night. This was an enormous amount of fun although a real challenge and each group went through periods of real energy and enthusiasm as well as times of stress and tiredness. It was interesting to observe the dynamics of the team as they progressed through this challenge and how certain pupils were more comfortable to take a leading role in pulling the team in a particular direction.

As shelters were being completed, fires were lit in order to keep the shelter warm as well as to cook the evening meal. Each team was provided with a chicken, some vegetables and some baking potatoes. It was a huge challenge to cook for 8 over an open fire and interesting to observe the different ways that each group went about getting their food prepared and cooked thoroughly. Although the cooking process did take some time and was not ready until well after dark, all groups had success and managed to fill their stomachs with enough food to get them through the night.

After a full group debrief, each team was sent into their shelters to attempt to get some much needed sleep. Some pupils managed a surprising 6 hours whilst others suffered from the cold and the discomfort and settled for just a brief few hours. The clouds dispersed through the night and what was meant to be a fairly warm evening turned quickly into a very cold one. This was probably one of the most challenging evenings for some of the pupils on the trip.

The following morning we had a breakfast of rusks and warm tea and then it was time to dismantle the shelters and put the forest back as it was before. The rest of the morning was spent talking about what the leaders had in their survival kits and listening to some of the leaders talk about their experiences as part of Mountain Rescue Teams.

Finally, we were given a brilliant presentation into foods that could be eaten from the wild which included the pupils eating moth larva and lightly fried locust. The experience was completed by group photos and a very well received traditional braai which was consumed with great relish. The survival training course was undoubtedly a magnificent and challenging experience for our pupils and one that will stick in their memories for some time to come.

When (jokingly) offered the option of starting again building new camps further into the forest and spending a second night in the bush, well over half were happy to choose this option over the comfort of their own beds. The leaders provided an exceptional level of expertise and control as well as throwing themselves into each group dynamic in getting to know each individual very quickly. This is an experience that I will certainly be using again in future trips and one that I would recommend highly to any teacher taking a school party to South Africa.

Neill Lunnon
Wellington College
October 2012