Spuds, eggs, tents and ammoall part of the cook's race

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 9, Issue 429, 24 March 1992, Page 5

Spuds, eggs, tents and ammoall part of the cook's race

BY

JO

HOWIE

Breaking eggs, loading rifles, peeling spuds, putting up tents and translating French culinary terms were all part of a contest with a difference for 16 soldier cooks last week. The 16 cooks are at the end of their eight week Band Two course at the School of Transport and Catering Wing. The course is an introduction to basic cooking and stewarding for newly trained recruits. The Band Two course is run on average twice a year. Staff Sergeant Paul Hodge and Sergeant Du-

ane Fyce decided to develop an activity that tested the students' knowledge and skills

that was relevant, that included soldiering and catering skills, was morale boosting and was

Tun, so catering 'skill at arms' competition was devised. Activities for the competition were

improvised while the students were on the field phase of the course situated near the Lake Moawhango dam. The course members were divided into two teams of eight, wearing their webbing and rifles. Actjvities included: run down a steep 100m bank and fill four 20L jerry cans with water and run back up the hill; turn (shape) a potato into eight sides; crawl under a camouflage net; erect an 11 x 11 tent and dismantle it; complete a 2km hill run as a squad; move a Unimog tyre around a 200m mud track; load and unload a magazine of 30 rounds;

run to a designated point and crack two eggs with one hand without breaking the yolk; translate five French culinary terms; run back to the start point for each member to identify five different fuels used in the field by cooks; then, the last activity, drink a can of soft drink, eat a dry wheetbix and whistle a tune. Staff Sergeant Hodge said students participated in the competition with good competitive humour and displayed good team work. He said staff would like to see it continue as a regqlar feature in the Band Two Course.