Chance of adventure

Press, 11 January 1978, Page 12

Chance of adventure

PA Auckland About 150 young New Zealanders are eager to be selected for an adventure of a lifetime. The 150 —- half of them girls — have applied to join an expedition to be mounted by the Scientific Exploration Society of London. The society intends selecting 200 young people from all over the world. About 10 of them will be New Zealanders, They will join in an oldtime brigantine sailing vessel, the 150-ton Eye of the Wind. “The response has been really tremendous,’’ said the New Zealand representative of the society, Dr J. Chap-man-Smith. “it is heartening to find that Kiwis still want to get off their butts and take chances.” Though the two-year expedition will start in October, selected New Zealanders are not expected to join it until at least early to mid-1979. It is being split into nine senarate phases, with entirely new crews taking over everv few months. Dr Chapman-Smith said it was not until phase four — when the expedition vessel reached Fiji — that New Zealanders would become involved.

He had written to London to get more details but he believed from the organiser of the Australian end that New Zealanders would take part in phases four, five. six. and seven. These were: Fiji to Papua New Guinea. Papua New Guinea to Indonesia. Indonesia to India, and India to the Arabian Gulf. Applicants must be between 17 and 24. Many of the New Zealanders who have applied are in their final year of school. “They are mostly fit young

people who are keen to catch this opportunity to do something a little exciting,” Dr Chapman-Smith said. Expedition members will do community work in the places they visit; and manv of the applicants have expressed their wish to help other peoples. So far there have been three offers of sponsorship (the cost for each member is $3600). Dr Chapman-Smith hopes there will be more. Selections are not expected to be made before April or May.