Michael heads Outward Bound

While the remainder of the NCS community was enjoying their Easter holidays, one of our senior students, Michael Beavan was navigating a hike around Mount Tennent with his 20kg pack.

Michael was selected and sponsored by the Bomaderry Lions Club earlier this year as part of the 'Outward Bound' project in which students embark on a twelve day, 120 kilometer hike in order to discover hidden inner qualities and to develop leadership skills. The hike took place during the Easter school holidays during which the hikers enjoyed the small luxury of one small Easter egg.

Michael made the following comments about his experience.

'Looking back on the hike, I found it to be enjoyable. While I was there, I found it painful and quite challenging. An interesting story from the hike was one morning at 5:30am while we were sleeping under our bivvies, we woke up to frost. My head was soaked and cold as I sat up and hit the top of the bivvie with my head. During the 12 day hike, there were no showers until the last day. We had no toilets to use and had to dig holes if we needed to go to the toilet. Every morning we ate muesli with powdered milk. Overall, I learned more about myself than I knew. I also learned some great leadership qualities and how to navigate through mountainous terrain.'

Michael and his fellow hikers from the Shoalhaven enjoyed a celebration dinner on Wednesday 10 May. They were presented with certificates of completion and each gave a speech to recount their experiences of the adventure. The night was a huge success and friends and family were invited to share in the achievements of the hikers.