Grade 10s from St Andrew's College and DSG were undaunted by wind, rain, heat and cold in the 2011 John Jones Fish River Journey which ended on Sunday 4 December in glorious sunshine.
Grade 10s from St Andrew's College and DSG were undaunted by wind, rain, heat and cold in the 2011 John Jones Fish River Journey which ended on Sunday 4 December in glorious sunshine.
The annual adventure was undertaken by about 160 pupils, the largest group of participants since its inception in 2004, and involved a complicated programme of hiking, rafting, cycling, running, community service, and other activities.
A logistics team lead by Tim Barnard ensured that there were no significant hitches as five groups took on the 18-day, 600km adventure from the Nardousberg near Graaff-Reinett to the Mouth.
“It has been many years in the making, that we now have each group doing their very own journey and only meeting at the mouth,” said Deon Boshoff, outdoor education director at St Andrew's.
Boshoff praised the influence of the enthusiastic and dedicated staff and group leaders who engaged with their groups and enhanced the spirit and energy observed along the way.
“To all those who doubted themselves, or underestimated their abilities, this is hopefully a wake-up call to what they can achieve through positive thinking, co-operation, and effort,” said Boshoff.
He explained that although the Journey is planned from the source to the mouth of the Fish River, the end is not the ultimate goal, pointing out that the event is deliberately called “the Journey” not “the Destination” for that reason.
“It is along the way that the real growth and change occurs, and by and large, the Grade 10s of 2011 have done just that,” said Boshoff. “The hills weren’t higher, the rides weren’t longer, it wasn’t hotter – but the way these challenges were met is a highlight of this year’s Journey.”
In a final message to the participants, he added, “The world is now at your feet. I challenge you to continue in some way to change your lifestyle, to include exercise, the great outdoors, and an appreciation of the simple things like food, water, shelter, electricity (and those wretched electronic devices!).
Continue to bear in mind those less fortunate than ourselves when we expect instant gratification for our thirst, hunger etc.”.
