In October of 2013, a group of intrepid cadets set out on a 10 day adventure into the South African bush to discover the skills and knowledge needed to survive in this hot, harsh environment. After flying via Abu Dhabi, the pupils from Reed’s CCF along with cadets from our partner state school, Hinchley Wood, finally arrived at Johannesburg international airport to a hero’s welcome. The local football team, the Orlando Pirates were arriving back in Johannesburg and the arrivals hall was full of 1000s of excited football fans singing, dancing and blowing their vuvuzelas. An amazing atmosphere to arrive in South Africa which set the tone for the rest of the trip.

The drive to Volharding Game farm gave the cadets the chance to catch up on much needed sleep before arriving late in the evening. After a quick introduction and safety brief we settled into our accommodation ready for the start of the course the following day.

Over the course of the next few days, the cadets set up a bush camp equipped with basic long drop toilets and a solar heated shower, which was to be our home and classroom for the theory and practical lessons given by our guides. Lessons covering tree and plant identification (and their uses), animal identification and characteristics, tracking, finding water and protein, approaching game, shelter building, bush first aid and celestial navigation and constellation identification all followed in the coming days. As well as heading out into the bush each day, either on game drives or on foot, to put the newly learned skills into practice.

The week was broken up by a trip to the world famous Kruger National Park. The 0400 early start from the bush camp was well worth it as we had close encounters with numerous animals including Impala, Kudu, Baboons, Elephant, crocodile and countless other game. Our guides came into their own as they fascinated the cadets with their impressive knowledge of the flora and fauna of South Africa.

Over the following days at Volharding, the cadets were put through their paces, putting the knowledge they had learned into practice as they had to construct improvised shelters, treat and extract a casualty using only the resources they had with them and cook a meal of Eland and Gemsbok (antelope) supplemented with what they found in the bush (difficult this year due to the drought that the area had been experiencing and the high temperatures).

After stopping for a quick picture at the Tropic of Capricorn, the last 2 nights were spent on Welgedarcht Private Game Reserve near Pretoria, where the cadets' tracking skills were again put into practice as the team set out on numerous bush walks with our guides. The cadets used their newly acquired knowledge of the different game species and the wind direction to their advantage as they were able to track and get extremely close to waterbuck, wildebeest and a herd of Giraffe which let us stay with them for around 30 minutes before moving off.

The highlight of the stay at Welgedarcht had to be the close encounters we had with the White Lions and Black Leopards at a private conservation project operated by the “Lion Whisperer”, Kevin Richardson. Incredible close up photos were able to be captured by the whole team as was the opportunity to spend about an hour in an enclosure with 2 x Striped Hyena which after a while came up to us and interacted with a few members of the group. A truly magical moment.

All in all, an amazing trip. The mix of theory, practical, game viewing and down time, was perfect and the food and hospitality were second to none. Cadets were put through their paces in practical lessons, duty cadets each day helped prepare the food and rally the troops. The cadets even volunteered to assist at Volharding by removing fences in preparation for the imminent introduction of Giraffe into the game park.

An amazing experience was had by all the cadets who have come away with not only memories and photographs of the wildlife and scenery, but a thorough understanding of the skills and knowledge needed to survive in the harsh environment of the African Bush. Many of the skills taught on the course can be transferred to remote places around the world but the reality of just how tough finding food and water can be in this remote wilderness is a memory that will stay with the cadets for ever.

The cadets and staff from Reed’s and Hinchley Wood School would like to thank The Ulysses Trust, along with the Berlin Infantry Brigade Memorial Trust Fund for helping to make this trip possible.