Outward Bound: the pain and the magic

Press, 18 December 1985, Page 17

Outward Bound: the pain and the magic

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New Zealand’s Outward Bound school, at Anakiwa in the Marlborough Sounds, has been described as the most perfectly situated Outward Bound School in the world.

Since it opened in 1962 more than 17,000 New Zealanders—young and not so young—have experienced the pain and the magic of the gruelling courses. The standard Outward Bound course is 24 days. These eater for 18 to 23-year-olds and are run once a month.

Various special courses, which are shorter, are also run for men and women over 30, and for specialised groups such as the physically disabled and the intellectually handicapped. Anybody who meets the age criteria and is in good health can apply for a course. It is a myth that you have to be super-fit, says the assistant director of the Outward Bound Trust, Mrs Nicky Natusch. The cost of a 24-day course could put some people off applying ($950 from January) but nobody is turned away because of financial reasons, she says. Employers, service clubs and trust scholarships can all help meet the cost. “We encourage people to approach their employer for sponsorship. About 50 per cent of people doing the

course have been sent by their employer, which indicates what a good investment it is. Service clubs are also very supportive of Outward Bound.”

“If students are not sponsbred and cannot manage to save the amount needed, the trust has endowments and scholarships. We look at cases individually, but nobody is denied an Outward Bound course for financial reasons.” Fees include travel to and from the school and all equipment except personal gear, such as woollen clothing, running shoes, tramping boots and a waterproof parka. People are encouraged to borrow as much as possible. Each course follows the same pattern. The 84 students are divided into groups of 14, a “watch,” on arrival and will go right through the course with the

same group, apart from the final solo scheme. The first two or three days are spent at the school rock climbing, abseiling and doing training sessions. A series of six three-day schemes follow.

These include sailing, kayaking, two separate bush schemes, community service and the three days of solo. When students go back to the school for the final two days they run a 14% mile marathon and climb

what appeared to be an unclimbable wall.

Badges and certificates are presented at the final, out-going ceremonies. “The most important thing is that although the activities are all very outdoor things, they are only the medium by which Outward Bound operates,” says Nicky Natusch. “They are the means by which we reach the goals of helping students realise their ambitions, building self-confidence, learning compassion, and learning to work with other people.” Outward Bound is no Sunday picnic. Many people hate it at the time, but usually the magic starts to take hold at some stage during the course, she says. “Students discover they can do so much more than they ever dreamed possible. “In three-and-a-half years I have yet to meet anyone who has not been glad they have done it at the end of the course.”