Between the 1st and 21st of April I was lucky enough to go to an Outward Bound camp thanks to a scholarship from Sir Roy McKenzie. It was a Mind, Body and Course for young people aged between sixteen and eighteen. We were met at the Picton ferry terminal where we were directed to a boat, which would take us to Anakiwa - where the Cobham Outward bound school, is situated. We arrived not knowing anything about what to expect but bursting with anticipation.

The next twenty-one days were filled with physically exhausting and mentally tough challenges, some weird and wacky events, and some of the greatest times I have had in my life. The events that we did included tramping, sailing, rowing, swimming, running, rock climbing and a high ropes course. Every day was jammed packed full of activities starting with pt (personal training) and a swim every morning at 6:15am. We spent less time at Anakiwa and more time out tramping, sailing and kayaking. I met heaps of new people and made some great friends as well as learning a lot of new stuff. I didn't mind the two days and night solo experience, as I was able to catch up on some much needed sleep!

It was an experience of a lifetime. At the end it was so hard saying good-bye to all the great new friends I had made but I was happy to be back home, with hot showers every night and a comfortable bed.

Finally I would like to thank the Huntington's Disease Association (Wellington) Inc and Sir Roy McKenzie for giving me the opportunity to go to Outward Bound. It was a great experience and without their help I would never have got the opportunity to go. Thank you so much.

Ben Sullivan-Brown
Outward Bound Graduate
April 2007