Army out adventuring

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 11, Issue 508, 19 October 1993, Page 5 (Supplement)

Army out adventuring

The Army is certainly not all camouflage, guns and tanks as the Army Adventurous Training Centre based in Waiouru proves. A small organisation, dedicated to improving the physical and mental condition of Defence personnel through outdoor pursuits, the AATC provides a myriad of courses such as mountaineering, rock-climbing, canoeing, kayaking and caving, with the emphasis on personal development. Of the 14 staff working at the AATC eight are qualified instructors and three of those are civilians. To become an in-

structor at the AATC individuals must be employable in at least two of the three major disciplines which the AATC deal in, namely rockclimbing, mountaineering and white-water kayaking. Each instructor must also hold the civilian qualification offered by the New Zealand Outdoor Instructor's Association. Several of the current AATC instructors are also on that body's Executive. The courses which the AATC conducts range from between one and three weeks long, with a ratio of one instructor to four students in the skillbased courses and one instructor to every eight to ten students during the character development courses. The AATC is dedicated to "providing challenges for individuals so that they might gain the

mental agility necessary to cope with the rigours of a wartime environment" Senior Instructor S-taff Sergeant Bruce Mazengarp said. The community also benefits from the AATCs expertise, when it coordinates Search and Rescue operations in this area and also conducts SAR training for both the military and civilians. Chief Instructor at the AATC, Major Ian Nicholson, is also vice chairman of the Ruapehu Alpine Rescue Organisation (RARO), while many instructors on staff are active members of RARO. Maj. Nicholson considers this effort to be part of the Army's commitment to the local community. Even the local Primary 1 school is able to benefit from the AATC facilities and knowledge with some students taking part in abseiling next month. The Officer Cadet School work very closely with the AATC in training the young officer cadets not only in technical skills such as field craft but more importantly in the areas of teamwork, individual initiative and leadership.

Many Instructors at the AATC, past and present, have distinguished themselves in the outdoor pursuits field. Maj. Nicholson in his role as president of Army Adventure Club is mounting a 15-strong ex-

pedition to climb both Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Kenya this December. And past instructor, Guy Cotter, made a successful attempt to climb Mt. Everest with a New Zealand civilian expedition.