The programme commenced with 16 students being selected by staff and then mentored by Mr McFarlane during lunchtime sessions before a three day trip to Burnham Military camp. The following boys made the final cut and were lucky enough to go to Burnham from 22-24 November.

Joseph Allen-Perkins, Ollie Cormack, James Davidson, Harry Gawne, Matthew Gualter, Ben Helliwell, Matt Kennedy, Bailey Lissington, William Lyall, Dion McKeown, Sam Milne, Ben Robinson, Alvin Sutedja, Cadell Tomkinson, Kurtis Uren and Tom Scott

The following is an overview of the trip written by Joseph Allen-Perkins and Ben Helliwell.

16 boys in total were chosen in the final group, so it was a huge privilege to go to Burnham, led by Mr Archibald, Mr Miller and Mr. McFarlane. At 11:30am when we arrived, we were taken to the Red Diamond room. The Red Diamond room is the Battalion HQ, where all history and memorabilia of 2/1 Battalion is kept. From there we were briefed by Lt.Col. Eugene Whakahoehoe and had lunch in the mess. After mince and veggies (better than it sounds!), we were shown our barracks then taken for another briefing in the RD room after which we went for a run around the camp and were shown where everything could be found.

After we went for a run we had a challenge, where there were several people in a shelter from a nuclear fallout and we could only save six of eight. We had to decide, depending on their occupation, who we had to leave before we were rescued - an exercise of morals and reasoning. After that activity we had a swim in the onsite pool before changing and eating tea in the mess. Tea was a choice of steak, butter chicken, fish or pork with assorted veggies. Following tea, we performed some leadership tasks and were split into two teams of eight people for these. These tasks included negotiating a "minefield" using only some tyres and some planks; the catch was that we had to get eight people across. One person was wearing blacked out goggles and one other was wearing earmuffs. We then completed the task, and moved to the next. This one was simple. We had to push/pull an 'engineless' truck 50m. However, there was a catch. One of the Burnham staff acted as the driver but he was 'blind' and spoke a ‘different language’. Only one person in the group could speak this language but had had their legs blown off in an accident, and thus had to sit in the passenger seat. Just as before, one person was blind and another was deaf. While our group was negotiating one task, the other group was doing the other. The night was rounded off by a ride in the 'engineless' truck, along a 4 Wheel Drive track, including steep climbs and drops. Sleep came at 10pm.

The next morning, we rose at 6:30am to a breakfast of poached eggs, frittata, spaghetti, and mince. Jesse McLlean and William Murphy, both Old Boys, then took us for a session on problem solving and communicating that took about two hours. After this we commenced exercise MEXICO, a series of tasks designed to test and improve our communication, problem solving and teamwork skills. After the first of these activities we had lunch in the Mess followed by another three activities, two of which involved transporting goods across water. These were done by building a bridge and then building a boat, both of these mostly out of rope.

After tidying up we had dinner in the Mess and retired to the barracks. Later that night, we were sent out again for another task. This one involved negotiating a tunnel to find and assemble pieces of a puzzle. The catch was the tunnel was completely dark and we only had half a glow stick to light the way. This proved very difficult, as neither of the teams managed to fully assemble the puzzle. This was a confusing time for many, as we often could only work in a group. After this frustrating task we headed back to the barracks to hit the hay.

The following morning was another early start. 6:20am. We were up, dressed and packed. By 7am we were having breakfast, a combination of Hoki, bacon and eggs. We then wrapped up the activities of the previous days with each student giving a five minute presentation on the meaning of the activities and how they enhanced the group and their leadership skills, with a focus on the importance of communication. This was led by Lt.Col. Eugene Whakahoehoe another Old Boy of Timaru Boys’ and who commands the Burnham camp. He was inspirational and gave us plenty to think about when it comes to leadership and being an effective leader. After lunch, we were off home unfortunately. A fantastic experience and one we all learnt and grew from.

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